Background: This study is designed to discover a method for delivering an efficient potent pheophytin a (pheo-a) into more absorbed and small polymeric ethyl cellulose (EC) microparticles.
Methods: Silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 columns were used to isolate pheo-a from the chloroform extract of the edible plant, Suaeda vermiculata. Pheo-a was incorporated into EC microparticles using emulsion-solvent techniques. The antioxidant activity of pheo-a microparticles was confirmed by the level of superoxide radical (SOD), nitric oxide (NO), and reducing power (RP) methods. Meanwhile, the cytotoxic effect of the product was investigated on MCF-7 cells using MTT assay.
Results: Pheo-a was isolated from S. vermiculata in a 12% concentration of the total chloroform extract. The structures were confirmed by NMR and IR spectroscopic analysis. The formulated microparticles were uniform, completely dispersed in the aqueous media, compatible as ingredients, and had a mean diameter of 139 ± 1.56 µm as measured by a particle size analyzer. Pheo-a demonstrated a valuable antioxidant activity when compared with ascorbic acid. The IC50 values of pheo-a microparticles were 200.5 and 137.7 µg/mL for SOD, and NO respectively. The reducing power of pheo-a microparticles was more potent than ascorbic acid and had a 4.2 µg/mL for IC50 value. Pheo-a microparticles did not show notable cytotoxicity on the MCF-7 cell line (IC50 = 35.9 µg/mL) compared with doxorubicin (IC50 = 3.2 µg/mL).
Conclusions: the results showed that water-soluble pheo-a microparticles were prepared with a valuable antioxidant activity in a wide range of concentrations with a noteworthy cytotoxic effect.
Keywords: Suaeda vermiculata; antioxidant activity; ethyl cellulose; pheophytin a; polymeric microparticles.