Creating burdock polysaccharide-oleanolic acid-ursolic acid nanoparticles to deliver enhanced anti-inflammatory effects: fabrication, structural characterization and property evaluation
Shanshan Zhu, Zhichang Qiu, Xuguang Qiao, Geoffrey I. N. Waterhouse, Wenqing Zhu, Wenting Zhao, Qiuxia He, Zhenjia Zheng
Abstract
This study explored the potential of polysaccharides from Actium lappa (ALPs) as natural wall materials for producing ALP-based nanoparticles to deliver poorly water-soluble oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA). Encapsulating OA+UA with ALPs (ALP:OA+UA, 50:1; OA:UA, 1:1) changed the crystalline nature to a more amorphous state through hydrogen bonding and involving O–H/C–O/O–C–O groups. ALP-OA/UA nanoparticles had a particle size and zeta potential (in water) of 199.1 nm/–7.15 mV, with a narrow unimodal size distribution, and excellent pH, salt solution, temperature and storage stability. Compared with ALPs, ALP-OA/UA nanoparticles showed enhanced anti-inflammatory activity (especially at a dose of 100 μg/mL) in a CuSO4-induced zebrafish inflammation model via down-regulating the NF-κB signalling pathway and gene expression of associated transcription factors and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-8). Therefore, ALP-based nanoparticles are natural and anti-inflammatory carriers for hydrophobic bioactive molecules.