Nanophytosome formulation of β-1,3-glucan and Euglena gracilis extract for drug delivery applications

Abstract

Euglena gracilis (EG) is a unicellular freshwater alga known for its high β-1,3-glucan (BG) content with well-known biological properties and immune response. The high molecular weight structure of BG traditionally poses a challenge in terms of its size and absorption. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a novel drug delivery mechanism of BG and EG to nanophytosomes (NPs) by converting the heavy molecular weight of BG and EG into lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC), which plays an important role in improving their bioavailability and entrapment in captivity. The BG and EG NPs were developed by the solvent evaporation method while varying time and temperature to optimize their drug delivery ability. The size of BG-PC and EG-PC obtained by the Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) method was 134.62 and 158.38 nm, respectively. Chemical (Fourier Transform Infra-Red) and structural (X-Ray Diffraction) characterization of NPs improved the binding capacity and the amorphous nature of both NPs. The shape of the NPs by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed their spherical, vesicular nature. The encapsulation efficiency of BG-PC and EG-PC was 82 ± 1.62 % and 87 ± 3.22 %, respectively, which improves the bioavailability. The developed methodology has thus proven effective in synthesizing BG-PC and EG-PC, which may be useful as NP drug delivery carriers. Future research could demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of long-term storage conditions for medical and pharmaceutical applications.•Nanophytosomes are tailored in size, shape and composition to optimize the delivery of phytochemicals/phytocompounds through nanoscale size and surface modification for better physiological absorption.•Nanophytosomes increase the stability of phytochemicals/phytocompounds and protect them from degradation due to heat or chemical reactions, leading to longer shelf life and improved therapeutic efficacy.•In this method, optimal conditions were created for the formation of β-1,3-glucan and Euglena gracilis extract nanophytosomes for successful development of drug delivery system that can effectively deliver bioactive compounds.