Giant multilamellar and large unilamellar lecithin vesicles for the encapsulation and oral delivery of cannabinoids

Abstract

The spontaneous formation of phospholipid vesicles was explored for the production of liposomal encapsulations of bioactive compounds. Low-energy processing methods were used to produce stable large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) and giant multilamellar vesicles (GMVs) from unrefined, deoiled soybean and sunflower lecithin dispersions. The presence of these structures was confirmed by particle size analysis, bright-field and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, the liposomes were determined to be in a liquid crystalline state. Through molecular modelling, these liposomes were predicted to be capable of encapsulating cannabinoids within their membrane based on their structural and chemical similarity to cholesterol. The encapsulation capacities of cannabis oil in soybean and sunflower LUVs and spontaneous GMVs were then assessed based on these models. These liposomes demonstrated high thermal and oxidative stability, making them suitable for various food applications.