Effect of nanoemulsion-loaded hybrid biopolymeric hydrogel beads on the release kinetics, antioxidant potential and antibacterial activity of encapsulated curcumin

Pawandeep Kour; Saima Afzal; Adil Gani; Mohammed Iqbal Zargar; Umar Nabi Tak; Showkat Rashid; Aijaz Ahmad Dar

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131925

Effect of nanoemulsion-loaded hybrid biopolymeric hydrogel beads on the release kinetics, antioxidant potential and antibacterial activity of encapsulated curcumin

Food Chem. 2021 Dec 23:376:131925. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131925. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Pawandeep Kour¹, Saima Afzal¹, Adil Gani², Mohammed Iqbal Zargar³, Umar Nabi Tak¹, Showkat Rashid¹, Aijaz Ahmad Dar⁴

Affiliations

¹ Soft Matter Research Group, Physical Chemistry Section, Department of Chemistry, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar 190006, J&K, India.
² Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar 190006, J&K, India.
³ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar 190006, J&K, India.
⁴ Soft Matter Research Group, Physical Chemistry Section, Department of Chemistry, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar 190006, J&K, India. Electronic address: aijaz_n5@yahoo.co.in.

PMID: 34973641
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131925

Abstract

Nanoemulsion encapsulated in the hydrogel beads are important entrants for loading hydrophobic active ingredients for enhancing their bioavailability and biological activities relevant in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries. Herein, we report the formulation of curcumin-loaded nanoemulsion encapsulated in ionotropic hybrid hydrogel beads of alginate, chitosan, gelatin and polyethylene oxide for effective delivery of curcumin. The release behaviour in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids (SGF and SIF) at 37 °C showed faster release in SGF which could be explained on the basis of mesh size, the extent of hydration and the complexation of the curcumin with the Ca²⁺ ions present within the hydrogel network. The free radical scavenging and antibacterial activities of the released curcumin in SGF were significantly greater than in SIF. This study shows promises of such hybrid systems, ignored so far, for proper encapsulation, protection and delivery of curcumin for the development of functional foods and pharmaceutics. The high structural stability of these nanoemulsion carriers and their effective delivery of curcumin provide a novel and tailored formulation out of existing polymers with plethora of advantages for oral drug delivery. Moreover, this study opens new door for different possibilities to improve the physicochemical characteristics and delivery of bioactive molecules like curcumin.

Keywords: Antibacterial activity; Antioxidant potential; Curcumin; Hybrid hydrogel; Nanoemulsion; Simulated gastric fluid; Simulated intestinal fluid.