Modulating the Assembly of Egg Yolk Granule-Based Delivery Systems Using NaCl: Physicochemical Properties and Curcumin Bioactivity

Our previous study demonstrated the potential of yolk granules for the encapsulation and delivery of lipophilic bioactive compounds. In this work, by modulating reassembly of granules using NaCl, curcumin was successfully encapsulated in reassembled granules, resulting in formation of nanoparticles (Gra-Cur NPs). It has been found that curcumin was mainly bound to the granules through hydrophobic interactions. The encapsulated curcumin was in an amorphous state. The Gra-Cur NPs exhibited good dilution, storage, and thermal stabilities. The UV-light stability of curcumin was significantly improved after encapsulation. The encapsulated curcumin had similar or better free radical scavenging activity than curcumin dissolved in organic solvent. The anti-proliferation activity against HT-29 cells of encapsulated curcumin was higher than that of curcumin dissolved in DMSO. The encapsulated curcumin also had better bioavailability, as shown by an Caco-2 cell model. The findings of this study may facilitate the design, fabrication, and application of granule-based delivery systems.