Preparation of cationized bovine serum albumin-loaded procyanidin nanoparticles for white adipocyte targeting and lipid metabolism regulation

In this study, we prepared adipocyte-targeted and glutathione-responsive PC nanoparticles by anti-solvent precipitation method, and evaluated the intervention effect of nanoparticles on lipid metabolism disorders. PC@cBSA nanoparticles had spherical morphology with a PC encapsulation efficiency of 79.46 ± 1.82%, which could effectively maintain the antioxidant activity of PC under harsh conditions, and resist the damage of simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The PC release rate from nanoparticles was positively correlated with glutathione concentration, indicating nanoparticles had a glutathione-responsive property. Subsequently, the mature 3T3-L1 adipocyte model was constructed, after intervention with PC@cBSA nanoparticles, the average area of lipid droplets in adipocytes decreased to 17.89 ± 0.91%. The levels of TG, T-CHO and LDL-C were down-regulated, while the level of HDL-C was upregulated, proving that nanoparticles had a regulatory effect on the lipid metabolism disorder of mature adipocytes. The PC nanoparticles developed effectively enhance the stability and achieve favorable targeted delivery efficiency of PC in adipocytes, which provide a novel strategy for the intervention of lipid metabolism-related diseases.