Enhancing the Gastrointestinal Stability of Curcumin by Using Sodium Alginate-Based Nanoemulsions Containing Natural Emulsifiers

Abstract

Curcumin presents interesting biological activities but low chemical stability, so it has been incorporated into different emulsion-based systems in order to increase its bioaccessibility. Many strategies are being investigated to increase the stability of these systems. Among them, the use of polysaccharides has been seen to highly improve the emulsion stability but also to modulate their digestibility and the release of the encapsulated compounds. However, the effect of these polysaccharides on nanoemulsions depends on the presence of other components. Then, this work aimed to study the effect of alginate addition at different concentrations (0–1.5%) on the gastrointestinal fate and stability of curcumin-loaded nanoemulsions formulated using soybean lecithin or whey protein as emulsifiers. Results showed that, in the absence of polysaccharides, whey protein was more effective than lecithin in preventing curcumin degradation during digestion and its use also provided greater lipid digestibility and higher curcumin bioaccessibility. The addition of alginate, especially at ≥1%, greatly prevented curcumin degradation during digestion up to 23% and improved the stability of nanoemulsions over time. However, it reduced lipid digestibility and curcumin bioaccessibility. Our results provide relevant information on the use of alginate on different emulsifier-based nanoemulsions to act as carriers of curcumin.

Curcumin clarithromycin nano-form a promising agent to fight Helicobacter pylori infections

“…Presence of Clarithromycin in nanoemulsion form improve it stability in acidic pH and has an incredible potential for clinical applications and can be created on an industrial scale (Lu et al 2009 ). Teixe-Roig et al 2022 refer to Nanoemulsion system is significantly preventing curcumin degradation during gastric digestion (Teixé-Roig et al 2022 ). For instance, utilize of Nanoemulsion based delivery system loaded with antimicrobials agent, which shows low solubility in water and is easily destroyed in acidic situations, for the eradication of H. pylori (Lai et al 2022 ).…”

Binary Alginate-Whey Protein Hydrogels for Antioxidant Encapsulation

“… Steps to encapsulate lipophilic antioxidants into alginate-whey protein beads and microcapsules. The procedures were applied to α-tocopherol and resveratrol [ 58 ], lycopene [ 14 ], black pepper essential oil [ 62 ], and curcumin [ 64 ]. AA, amphiphilic antioxidants; ALG, alginate; β-LG, β-lactoglobulin; LA, lipophilic antioxidants; TG, transglutaminase; WPI, whey protein isolate.…”

“…When adding alginate, ζ-potential values of the microcapsules became more negative, and this is probably the reason for higher physical stability. On the other hand, with increasing alginate concentration from 0 to 1.5%, the bioaccessibility of curcumin decreased from 70% to 30% [ 64 ].…”

Advances in Nanocarrier Systems for Overcoming Formulation Challenges of Curcumin: Current Insights

“…Sodium alginate showed better stability for curcumin NEs with low concentration (1–1.5%). Nevertheless, this addition led to a decrease in lipid digestibility and drug bioaccessibility [ 69 ].…”