Encapsulation of bioactives within electrosprayed κ-carrageenan nanoparticles

Abstract

In this study, an electrospray synthesis approach was utilized in which a solution mixture of a sensitive bioactive agent, d-limonene (DL, R-(+)-Limonene), and a nature-inspired polymer, κ-carrageenan (κC) was applied to design DL-κC nanoparticles (NPs) in a one step process. The engineered DL-κC NPs displayed spherical morphology and the maximum encapsulation efficiency of NPs was about 97 % by altering the mass ratio of DL to κC. The developed DL-κC NPs showed a pH-dependent release manner in vitro. Both photostability and thermostability of DL were promoted by increasing the κC concentration, and >85 % of the original DL could be preserved following 120 min of UV-light exposure in the NPs with 0.5 % κC. The results demonstrated that electrosprayed κC NPs are promising candidates for the design of high-loading pH-sensitive NPs for encapsulation of highly sensitive bioactive agents.

Keywords: Controlled release; Electrospraying; Hexane (PubChem CID: 8058); Hydrochloric acid (PubChem CID: 313); Phosphate buffer (PubChem CID: 24203); Sensitive bioactives; Sodium chloride (PubChem CID: 5234); Sodium hydroxide (PubChem CID: 14798); Tween 20 (PubChem CID: 443314); d-limonene; d-limonene (PubChem CID: 440917); κ-Carrageenan; κ-Carrageenan nanoparticles; κ-carrageenan (PubChem CID: 11966249).