Resveratrol-loaded ovalbumin/Porphyra haitanensis polysaccharide composite nanoparticles: Fabrication, characterization and antitumor activity

Resveratrol (RES) possesses a variety of health-promoting effects. However, the application of RES in food and pharmaceutical industries is limited due to the poor water solubility and bioavailability, and low photostability. In order to overcome the drawback of RES, in the present work, RES-loaded nanoparticles were prepared using ovalbumin (OVA) and Porphyra haitanensis polysaccharide (PHP) as encapsulating materials. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the fabrication of OVA-PHP-RES nanoparticles (OPR). It was found that OVA-PHP possessed superior effects on both stability of the dispersion and RES protection to those of OVA alone. In vitro simulated digestion tests demonstrated that RES in OPR was released slower in stomach and more rapidly in intestine when compared to OVA-RES nanoparticles (OR). In addition, OPR was found to effectively inhibit the growth of two tumor cell lines (HeLa and HepG2), indicating that OPR nanoparticles could deliver effectively RES in biological system, thereby improving its bioavailability. The finding in this study demonstrated OVA-PHP system could improve the stability and bioavailability of RES.