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. 2019;20(3):273-281.
doi: 10.1631/jzus.B1800346.

Enhanced water solubility, antioxidant activity, and oral absorption of hesperetin by D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate and phosphatidylcholine

Affiliations

Enhanced water solubility, antioxidant activity, and oral absorption of hesperetin by D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate and phosphatidylcholine

Su-Fang Gu et al. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2019.

Abstract

Hesperetin, an abundant bioactive component of citrus fruits, is poorly water-soluble, resulting in low oral bioavailability. We developed new formulations to improve the water solubility, antioxidant activity, and oral absorption of hesperetin. Two nano-based formulations were developed, namely hesperetin-TPGS (D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate) micelles and hesperetin-phosphatidylcholine (PC) complexes. These two formulations were prepared by a simple technique called solvent dispersion, using US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved excipients for drugs. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to characterize the formulations' physical properties. Cytotoxicity analysis, cellular antioxidant activity assay, and a pharmacokinetic study were performed to evaluate the biological properties of these two formulations. The final weight ratios of both hesperetin to TPGS and hesperetin to PC were 1:12 based on their water solubility, which increased to 21.5- and 20.7-fold, respectively. The hesperetin-TPGS micelles had a small particle size of 26.19 nm, whereas the hesperetin-PC complexes exhibited a larger particle size of 219.15 nm. In addition, the cellular antioxidant activity assay indicated that both hesperetin-TPGS micelles and hesperetin-PC complexes increased the antioxidant activity of hesperetin to 4.2- and 3.9-fold, respectively. Importantly, the in vivo oral absorption study on rats indicated that the micelles and complexes significantly increased the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) from 2.64 μg/mL to 20.67 and 33.09 μg/mL and also increased the area under the concentration-time curve of hesperetin after oral administration to 16.2- and 18.0-fold, respectively. The micelles and complexes increased the solubility and remarkably improved the in vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo oral absorption of hesperetin, indicating these formulations' potential applications in drugs and healthcare products.

Keywords: Hesperetin; D-α-Tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS); Phosphatidylcholine; Antioxidant activity; Oral absorption.

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with ethics guidelines: Su-fang GU, Li-ying WANG, Ying-jie TIAN, Zhu-xian ZHOU, Jian-bin TANG, Xiang-rui LIU, Hai-ping JIANG, and You-qing SHEN declare that they have no conflict of interest.

All institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Structure of hesperetin
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Enhanced water solubility of hesperetin by D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) and phosphatidylcholine (PC)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
DSC thermograms of hesperetin, TPGS, PC, hesperetin-TPGS micelles, and hesperetin-PC complexes
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Volume size distributions of hesperetin-TPGS micelles and hesperetin-PC complexes in water The average particle sizes of hesperetin-TPGS micelles and hesperetin-PC complexes are (26.19±0.05) nm with a polydispersity index of 0.257±0.024 and (219.15±2.05) nm with polydispersity index of 0.264±0.004, respectively
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Cell viability of HepG2 cells (a) and MDCK cells (b) after treatments of hesperetin, TPGS, PC, hesperetin-TPGS micelles, and hesperetin-PC complexes for 24 h The data are from MTT assays and normalized against untreated cells. Data are expressed as mean±SD (n=3)
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) levels of hesperetin, hesperetin-TPGS micelles, and hesperetin-PC complexes examined by the CAA assay The CAA unit was calculated by the difference between the areas under the curve (AUCs) of sample groups and that of the control group. RFU: relative fluorescence unit. Data are expressed as mean±SD (n=6)
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Concentration–time profiles of total hesperetin in plasma after oral administration of hesperetin suspension, hesperetin-TPGS micelles, or hesperetin-PC complexes in rats Data are expressed as mean±SD (n=3)

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