Preparation of Nanoliposomes Containing Vitamin E as Carriers for DHA and EPA and Evaluation of Their Physical Stability

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have preventative and therapeutic effects against various disorders, especially cardiovascular and inflammatory conditions. Considering the advantages of using nanoliposomes as carrier systems of bioactive compounds, this study was aimed to the development nanoliposomes containing vitamin E loaded with DHA and EPA and evaluation of their physical stability. Preformed nano-liposomes were prepared based on dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) with vitamin E using a modification thin film method and sonication. Loading of EPA and DHA into nano-liposomes was done by incubation. To improve stability, vitamin E was added to some formulae. After formulation, a comparative study was performed between them through evaluation by Zetasizer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and calculating the percent of DHA and EPA entrapment efficiency. Physical stability study was carried out by investigating the change in the vesicles’ encapsulation efficiency, particle size, size distribution and shape when stored at 4, 30 and 40°C for 3 months. The results showed that vitamin E-based nanoliposomal formulations successfully entrapped EPA and DHA with high encapsulation efficiencies (81.96±1.4% and 89.1±0.6%), respectively, and appropriate particle size (82±0.8 nm) and PDI (0.13±0.02) were achieved for the optimized formulation. The results of the physical stability tests of the optimized nanoliposome carriers of DHA and EPA incorporated with vitamin E were suitable after a 3-month storage at 4°C. DSC and TEM results confirmed vitamin E–DPPC:Omega 3 interactions and vesicular dispersion phenomenon of DHA and EPA. The findings of this study showed that incorporation of vitamin E in nanoliposomal formulation had significant protective and stabilizing effects on the DHA and EPA loaded in bilayer membrane lipid and its physical stability. The combination of preservatives and vitamin E in liposome containing EPA and DHA was not more effective on the physical stability of liposome formulation than the control formulation.