In this study, sugary maize dendrimer-like glucan (SMDG) was used as a delivery carrier for improving the bioavailability of resveratrol (RES). After optimization, the solubility of RES in RES-SMDG markedly increased to approximately 9.1 times that of the raw RES solution. The structural characterizations of the RES-SMDG formulation showed crystal RES was entrapped in the SMDG matrix for the amorphous state due to the strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the -OH of RES and glucan chains. In this case, antioxidant activity of RES-SMDG was markedly higher than that of the raw RES solution. In the Caco-2 cell model, the Papp value of RES in the RES-SMDG group was slightly higher than those of common permeable compounds, while the cellular uptake was significantly improved. RES-SMDG also exhibited protective effects against cellular damage under oxidative stress. The results indicated that SMDG is an attractive carrier to encapsulate and protect hydrophilic bioactive ingredients.
Keywords: characterization; dendrimer-like glucan; nanoparticulate; resveratrol; solid dispersion.