Encapsulation of Polyphenols from Leaves into Liposomes as a Strategy to Improve Their Delivery.

This study is focused on the encapsulation of polyphenols from leaves into liposomes as a strategy to improve their delivery. Liposomes loaded with leaves extract were obtained and characterized for particle size, polydispersity, entrapment efficiency, and stability. Liposomes presented entrapment efficiency higher than 75%, nanometric particle size, narrow polydispersity, and good stability over three months at 4 °C. The liposomes containing offered a slower release of polyphenols with attenuated burst effect compared with the dissolution of free extract in phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.4. Moreover, an in vitro pretreatment of 24 h with loaded liposomes showed a cytoprotective effect against HO-induced cytotoxicity on L-929 mouse fibroblasts cells. These preliminary findings imply that liposomes could be successfully employed as carriers for polyphenols in pharmaceutical applications.