Co-Encapsulation of EGCG and Quercetin in Liposomes for Optimum Antioxidant Activity

Although different delivery systems have been developed to overcome the limits of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and quercetin in food application, none have referred to their simultaneous encapsulation. In this study, these two polyphenols were successfully co-loaded into liposomes. Under the optimal conditions (lecithin-total polyphenols ratio 25:1, lecithin-cholesterol ratio 6:1, lecithin-Tween 80 ratio 8:1 and ultrasonic time 2 min), the mean size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential of liposomes were 111.10 ± 0.52 nm, 0.259 ± 0.006 and –19.83 ± 0.45 mV, with an encapsulation efficiency of 64.05 ± 1.56% and 61.73 ± 2.55% for EGCG and quercetin, respectively. After 30-day storage, an increase of 4.05% was observed in the mean size with no significant change (P ≥ 0.05) in the PDI and zeta potential. Moreover, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay revealed a synergistic antioxidant effect of the two compounds in liposomal system. These results demonstrated that co-encapsulation of EGCG and quercetin enhances their effectiveness. Practical Application: EGCG and quercetin are natural polyphenols abound in the human diet with diverse biological activities. These two polyphenols were successfully co-encapsulated into a homogeneous and stable liposomal system. Interestingly, a synergistic antioxidant effect of the two polyphenols was observed due to co-encapsulation. This indicated that the simultaneous delivery of EGCG and quercetin was an attractive approach to improve their functionality for expanding their application in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.