Dual-functional cyclodextrin-liposome system for dihydromyricetin: Bitterness masking assessed by E-tongue and enhanced bioavailability

A cyclodextrin-liposome system (CL) was developed to encapsulate dihydromyricetin (DMY), to improve its water solubility, bioavailability, and to mask its bitter taste, thus expanding its application in the food field. The dihydromyricetin-cyclodextrin-liposome (DCL) prepared by film dispersion method showed a multivesicular structure with an average particle size of 86.77 nm and an encapsulation rate of 58.4 %. The stability analyzer showed that the DCL had excellent physical stability (instability index: 0.023 ± 0.003) and exhibited good slow-release properties. QCM-D analysis of DCL effectively inhibited the binding of DMY and mucin. The electronic tongue indicated that DCL significantly masked the bitterness of DMY. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies showed that the AUC 0–90min and Cmax of DMY delivered by DCL significantly increased by 5.83-fold and 3.38-fold, respectively, compared with the control group. This study provides a proof-of-concept for the development of an efficient DMY delivery strategy, which is expected to greatly contribute to its potential application in the field of functional foods.