Chitosan/poly-γ-glutamic acid nanoparticles improve the solubility of lutein

• The redispersibility of WsCS/γ-PGA NPs were better than those of InCS/γ-PGA NPs.
• The lutein-loaded WsCS/γ-PGA NP has a spherical form with a size around 200 nm.
• The solubility of lutein was significantly increased 12-fold by nanoencapsulation.
• The lutein-loaded NPs were completely reconstituted into aqueous solution as same as original aqueous solution.

The aim of this study was to improve the solubility of lutein through the use of chitosan (CS)/poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) nanoencapsulation. In terms of redispersibility, water-soluble chitosan (WsCS)/γ-PGA nanoparticles (NPs) were better than insoluble chitosan (InCS)/γ-PGA NPs. The lutein-loaded WsCS/γ-PGA NP has a spherical form with a size around 200 nm and a narrow size distribution (PDI < 0.1). Solubility measures showed that nanoencapsulation of lutein into WsCS/γ-PGA NPs resulted in a significant 12-fold higher solubility compared to that of non-nanoencapsulated lutein (p < 0.05). The redispersibility index of the lutein-loaded NPs was 1.01, indicating that they were completely reconstituted into aqueous solution as same as original aqueous solution. These results suggest that WsCS/γ-PGA nanoencapsulation can be used to enhance the solubility of lutein and other poorly water-soluble compounds.

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