Glycyrrhizic acid encapsulated in zein/Astragalus polysaccharides nanoparticle: enhanced stability, bioactivity and sustained release

Glycyrrhizic acid (GA) exhibits potent antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities. However, its bioactivity is constrained by low stability under varying conditions, including pH and temperature. To improve its stability, GA was loaded into zein-Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) nanoparticles (zein-APS-GA NPs). The optimized nanoparticles had a diameter of 101.10 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.092, and an encapsulation rate of 91.70 %. Simulated digestion experiments revealed a bioaccessibility of 72.84 % for nanoparticles, compared to 30.70 % for free GA. The radical scavenging rates of the nanoparticles ranged from 66.23 % to 73.34 %, and retained over 40 % after 48 h at room temperature. Stability assays confirmed their robustness across a range of ionic strength, pH values, temperatures, and storage durations. Furthermore, zein-APS-GA NPs increased the viability of alcohol-injured AML-12 cells to 95.50 % at 100 μg/mL (containing 91.7 μg/mL GA), significantly surpassing that of free GA (63.29 %, 100 μg/mL), highlighting their enhanced stability and cytoprotective efficacy.