Preparation, Modification and Characterization of Nanoliposomes Loaded with Curcumin and Reduced Glutathione

Nanoliposomes loaded with curcumin (CUR) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were prepared using soybean lecithin as the wall material and modified by chitosan and sodium alginate on their surface through electrostatic self-assembly. The encapsulation efficiency, morphology, in vitro release, and stability of the fabricated nanoliposomes were characterized by laser particle size analyzer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that the encapsulation efficiency of CUR was 100%. Moreover, neither co-encapsulation with GSH nor polysaccharide modification affected the encapsulation efficiency of CUR. However, the encapsulation efficiency of GSH was increased from 7.90% to 27.03% when co-encapsulated with CUR, and further increased to 41.22% after polysaccharide modification. Co-encapsulation of CUR and GSH did not significantly influence the release of CUR, but reduced the release rate of GSH from 51.2% to 23.6%. After polysaccharide modification, the sustained release effects of nanoliposomes loaded with CUR and/or GSH were enhanced. Meanwhile, the co-encapsulation of CUR and GSH increased the average particle size of liposomes from (95.02 ± 1.93) to (132.47 ± 18.14) nm, and the zeta potential from (–22.47 ± 1.96) to (–14.70 ± 0.46) mV. After bilayer modification of chitosan and sodium alginate, the average particle size of liposomes further increased to (161.97 ± 5.58) nm, while the zeta potential decreased to (–40.87 ± 1.79) mV. In addition, the thermal stability was increased. The results of this study will provide a basis for the development of novel functional foods or drugs loaded with bioactive substances.