Investigating the role of hyaluronic acid in improving curcumin bioaccessibility from nanoemulsions

Abstract

A major challenge in delivering curcumin effectively to the gut is its low solubility. One interesting approach to increase curcumin bioaccessibility is its emulsification. Here, we present curcumin-loaded liquid lipid nanocapsules (LLNs), obtained through olive oil emulsification, in which LLNs are coated by a protective shell composed of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) and hyaluronic acid (HA). Bioaccessibility of curcumin is evaluated following a standard in vitro digestion protocol. The presence of HA in the shell increases the amount of curcumin retained in the LLNs after in vitro gastric digestion from ~25% to ~85%. This protective effect occurs when HA binds to BSA in the shell. Moreover, this binding appears to be reinforced under gastric conditions, hence evidencing the crucial role of interfacial composition in protecting encapsulated curcumin. Interfacial engineering of nanoemulsions provides a route to improve the bioaccessibility of encapsulated curcumin at different stages in the gut.