Observation of curcumin-loaded hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) oleogels under in vitro lipid digestion and in situ intestinal absorption in rats

Int J Biol Macromol. 2022 Mar 22:S0141-8130(22)00590-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.03.120. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Curcumin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (Cur-NLCs)-based hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) oleogels (Cur-NLCs-HPMC-OGs) were fabricated using a cryogel template. The effect of the HPMC viscosity grade on the oleogel characteristics and in situ intestinal absorption were examined. Highly stable Cur-NLCs were prepared with a mean particle size of 314 nm and polydispersity index of 0.275. Cur-NLCs affected the creamy texture of self-standing Cur-NLCs-HPMC-OGs. The Cur-NLCs were tightly packed as oil droplets in the network of HPMCs. However, a high viscosity of HPMC-4000 led to a greater ability to entrap and prevent droplet coalescence compared to a low viscosity of HPMC-400. NLCs promoted the release of free fatty acids during in vitro lipid digestion, whereas HPMC-4000 maintained the strength and durability of oleogels against mechanical and enzymatic breakdown. The in situ loop results revealed higher curcumin absorption by Cur-NLCs-HPMC-OGs than by Cur-HPMC-OGs. HMPC-4000 showed slightly higher curcumin absorption compared to HPMC-400.

PMID:35337911 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.03.120