Chemical stability and phase distribution of all-trans-retinol in nanoparticle-coated emulsions

The influence of silica nanoparticle coating on the chemical stability and phase distribution of all-trans-retinol in submicron oil-in-water emulsions is reported. The chemical stability was studied as a function of UVA+UVB irradiation, and storage temperature (4 degrees C, ambient temperature, and 40 degrees C) for emulsions stabilised with lecithin and oleylamine as the initial emulsifier with and without silica nanoparticle layers. The chemical stability of all-trans-retinol was highly dependent on the emulsifier type and charge, with negligible influence of the initial loading phase of silica nanoparticles. A significant stability improvement (approximately 2-fold increase in the half-life of the drug) was observed by nanoparticle incorporation into oleylamine-stabilised droplets (i.e. electrostatically coated), with no considerable effect for partially coated lecithin-stabilised droplets. The chemical stability of all-trans-retinol incorporated into nanoparticle-coated emulsions was well-correlated to the phase distribution of the active agent, and the interfacial structure of emulsions as determined by freeze fracture-SEM. Specifically engineered nanoparticle layers can be used to enhance the chemical stability of active ingredients in emulsion carriers.