In vitro and in vivo assessment of vitamin A encapsulation in a liposome-protein delivery system.
Vitamin A (VA) is an essential nutrient needed in small amounts by humans and supports a wide range of biological actions. Retinol, the most common and most biologically active form of VA has also been found to inhibit peroxidation processes in membranes and it has been widely used as an ingredient with pharmaceutical and nutritional applications. VA is a lipophilic molecule, sensitive to air, oxidizing agents, ultraviolet light and low pH levels. For these reasons, it is necessary for VA to be protected against oxidation. Another disadvantage in the application of VA is its low solubility in aqueous media. Both issues (sensitivity and solubility) can be solved by employing encapsulation techniques. Liposomes can efficiently encapsulate lipid-soluble materials, such as VA. The encapsulated materials are protected from environmental and chemical changes. A new liposome/β-lactoglobulin formulation has been developed as a stable delivery system for VA. The aim of this study was the encapsulation of VA into β-lactoglobulin-liposome complexes, recently developed in our laboratory. The in vivo bioavailability characterization of VA was tested after administration in laboratory animals (mice). In this report, we demonstrate that VA could be efficiently entrapped and delivered in a phospholipid-sterol-protein membrane resembling system, a newly synthesized promising carrier. Based on this finding, the phospholipid-sterol-protein membrane resembling system may be one of the promising approaches to enhance VA absorption and to overcome the formulation difficulties associated with lipophilic means. The carrier system described here has huge potential in food fortification applications to treat VA deficiency.
['Rovoli|Magdalini|M|', 'Pappas|Ioannis|I|', 'Lalas|Stavros|S|', 'Gortzi|Olga|O|', 'Kontopidis|George|G|']
D000818:Animals D000975:Antioxidants D001682:Biological Availability D004355:Drug Stability D007782:Lactoglobulins D008081:Liposomes D008297:Male D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA D010084:Oxidation-Reduction D010743:Phospholipids D012995:Solubility D013261:Sterols D014801:Vitamin A
Vitamin A encapsulation liposomes bioavailability membrane resembling system