Encapsulation in lysozyme/A. Sphaerocephala Krasch polysaccharide nanoparticles increases stability and bioefficacy of curcumin

- A novel nanoparticle system was developed from Lysozyme and ASKP-3 through self-assembly.
- Encapsulation of curcumin in the Ly/ASKP-3 NPs enhanced its chemical stability.
- Curcumin-loaded NPs exhibited stronger antitumor activity toward HepG2 cells than free curcumin.
- Curcumin-loaded NPs significantly enhanced serum level of curcumin in mice.

A facile approach to fabricate nanoparticles (NPs) via self-assembly of lysozyme (Ly) and purified Artemisia sphaerocephala Krasch seed polysaccharide (ASKP-3) was developed for the first time to encapsulate and protect curcumin. The nanoparticle size and morphology were characterized. The results showed that Ly/ASKP-3 NPs were spherical with narrow particle size distribution. Curcumin-loaded NPs greatly increased curcumin stability in phosphate buffer at physiological pH. The cancer cell viability assay indicated that encapsulated curcumin exhibited higher antitumor potential than free curcumin. Curcumin-loaded NPs was effectively endocytosed by HepG2 cells, resulting in enhanced apoptosis in cancer cells as compared to free curcumin. Furthermore, the curcumin-loaded NPs significantly increased the serum level of curcumin in mice after oral administration. Overall, our results demonstrated that nanosized proteins/polysaccharides complex could be used to protect labile lipophilic compounds such as curcumin to enhance their bioavailability in vivo, supporting potential application of curcumin-loaded proteins/polysaccharides complex in functional foods.

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