Design, fabrication, and performance evaluation of curcumin-loaded nanoparticles based on zein, hyaluronic acid, and tannic acid.

Nanoparticles have attracted considerable attention as colloidal delivery systems. The performance of nanoparticles can be enhanced by assembling multiple structural components with different functional attributes. In this study, a model hydrophobic nutraceutical (curcumin) was encapsulated in nanoparticles assembled from zein, hyaluronic acid, and tannic acid to enhance its functionality. Specifically, curcumin was loaded into zein-hyaluronic acid-tannic acid (Cur-ZHT) nanoparticles prepared using anti-solvent precipitation. The optimized nanoparticle formulation had a relatively high encapsulation efficiency (92.11 ± 0.13 %), small mean particle diameter (307.40 ± 2.40 nm), and low polydispersity index (0.26 ± 0.01). Hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding played an important role in the assembly of these nanoparticles. Curcumin in Cur-ZHT nanoparticles was protected against environmental stresses, including heating, light exposure, and storage for 30 days. The presence of tannic acid in the nanoparticles enhanced the chemical stability of the curcumin, which was attributed to its strong antioxidant properties. In vitro digestion studies showed that Cur-ZHT nanoparticles effectively protected curcumin from decomposition in gastric juice. Compared to the bioaccessibility of free curcumin (17.44 ± 0.32 %), that of Cur-ZHT nanoparticles was significantly improved to 50.44 ± 0.87 %. The multicomponent nanoparticles developed in this study are suitable for improving the solubility, stability, and bioavailability of hydrophobic bioactive compounds.