Background: Astaxanthin (ASTA), a carotenoid, is a strong antioxidant. However, its application in functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics remains limited due to its low aqueous solubility and stability. Several different encapsulating materials have been used to improve the stability and bioavailability of ASTA; however, the currently investigated nano-carriers for ASTA require additional improvements with regard to their loading capacity and stability.
Methods: In this study, we developed lecithin nano-liposol (Lec NS) as a novel carrier of ASTA using a simple emulsion evaporation method. The physicochemical characteristics including hydrodynamic diameter, polydispersity index, surface charge and morphology were analyzed by DLS and TEM. The antioxidant activity of the ASTA-loaded Lec NS (ASTA@Lec NS) was evaluated using a DPPH radical scavenging assay and in vitro antioxidant assay. The study of in vitro wound healing efficacy was carried out to observe the beneficial effect of antioxidant activity of ASTA@Lec NS on cell migration.
Results: ASTA@Lec NS showed improved stability and efficacy owing to improved aqueous solubility of ASTA inside Lec NS. Both in situ and in vitro antioxidant activities of ASTA@Lec NS were higher than that of bare ASTA and Lec NS. It also exhibited strong wound healing efficacy by regulation of ROS level in in vitro cell model.
Conclusion: This study revealed that the encapsulation of ASTA into Lec NS using a wet phase transfer enhanced its physiological stability and bioavailability for effective scavenging of reactive oxygen species.



中文翻译：

---

高负载量虾青素纳米脂质体的潜在抗氧化和伤口愈合作用

背景：虾青素（ASTA）是一种类胡萝卜素，是一种强抗氧化剂。然而，由于其低水溶性和稳定性，其在功能性食品、药品和化妆品中的应用仍然受到限制。几种不同的封装材料已被用于提高 ASTA 的稳定性和生物利用度；然而，目前研究的 ASTA 纳米载体在负载能力和稳定性方面需要额外的改进。
方法：在这项研究中，我们使用简单的乳液蒸发方法开发了卵磷脂纳米脂质溶胶（Lec NS）作为ASTA的新型载体。采用DLS和TEM分析了其水动力直径、多分散指数、表面电荷和形貌等理化特性。使用 DPPH 自由基清除试验和体外抗氧化试验评估负载 ASTA 的 Lec NS (ASTA@Lec NS) 的抗氧化活性。进行体外伤口愈合功效研究，观察ASTA@Lec NS的抗氧化活性对细胞迁移的有益作用。
结果：由于 ASTA 在 Lec NS 内的水溶性提高，ASTA@Lec NS 显示出更高的稳定性和功效。ASTA@Lec NS 的原位和体外抗氧化活性均高于裸 ASTA 和 Lec NS。通过在体外细胞模型中调节 ROS 水平，它还表现出很强的伤口愈合功效。
结论：本研究表明，使用湿相转移将 ASTA 封装到 Lec NS 中增强了其生理稳定性和生物利用度，可有效清除活性氧。