Enhancement of curcumin water dispersibility and antioxidant activity using core-shell protein-polysaccharide nanoparticles

Xiaoxia Huang; Xulin Huang; Yushi Gong; Hang Xiao; David Julian McClements; Kun Hu

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2016.06.009

Enhancement of curcumin water dispersibility and antioxidant activity using core-shell protein-polysaccharide nanoparticles

Food Res Int. 2016 Sep:87:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2016.06.009. Epub 2016 Jun 16.

Authors

Xiaoxia Huang¹, Xulin Huang¹, Yushi Gong¹, Hang Xiao², David Julian McClements³, Kun Hu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Food Science School, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Zhongshan 528458, China.
² Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
³ Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80203, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: mcclements@foodsci.umass.edu.
⁴ Food Science School, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Zhongshan 528458, China. Electronic address: huk88@126.com.

PMID: 29606228
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2016.06.009

Abstract

Curcumin has strong antioxidant activity, but poor water-solubility and chemical stability, which limits its utilization as a nutraceutical in many applications. Previously, we developed a core-shell (zein-pectin) nanoparticle delivery system with high curcumin loading efficiency, high particle yield, and good water dispersibility. However, this system was unstable to aggregation around neutral pH and moderate ionic strengths due to weakening of electrostatic repulsion between nanoparticles. In the current study, we used a combination of alginate (high charge density) and pectin (low charge density) to form the shell around zein nanoparticles. Replacement of 30% of pectin with alginate greatly improved aggregation stability at pH 5 to 7 and at high ionic strengths (2000mM NaCl). Curcumin encapsulated within these core-shell nanoparticles exhibited higher antioxidant and radical scavenging activities than curcumin solubilized in ethanol solutions as determined by Fe (III) reducing power, 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH·), and 2, 2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid radical cation (ABTS·⁺) scavenging analysis. These core-shell nanoparticles may be useful for incorporating chemically unstable hydrophobic nutraceuticals such as curcumin into functional foods, dietary supplements, and pharmaceuticals.

Keywords: Alginate; Antioxidant; Core–shell; Curcumin; Nanoparticles; Nutraceuticals; Pectin; Zein.