Fabrication of quercetin nanocrystals: comparison of different methods

The main aim of this study was to prepare quercetin nanocrystals using three fabrication methods, viz. high-pressure homogenization, bead milling, and cavi-precipitation. The three fabrication methods were compared in terms of particle size, saturation solubility, and dissolution of the products obtained. The average particle size of the coarse quercetin was 50.1 μm. The three methods produced quercetin particles in the nanometre range (276-787 nm) and the smallest nanocrystals of around 276.7 nm were fabricated by bead milling. The particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, and saturation solubility values for the products fabricated by both high-pressure homogenization and bead mill were similar and thus both represented an efficient means to fabricate quercetin nanosuspensions. According to X-ray diffraction analysis, all nanocrystals were still in the crystalline state after being fabricated by the three methods. The cavi-precipitated product exhibited larger particle size and did not show an optimum stability as suggested by the zeta potential values. However, cavi-precipitated quercetin nanosuspension showed the higher saturation solubility due to the presence of ethanol. The bead milled products with the lowest particle size exhibited a saturation solubility of 25.59 ± 1.11 μg/ml, approximately nine times higher than coarse quercetin. Overall, the dissolution rates of the quercetin nanosuspensions fabricated by these three methods enhanced compared to the coarse quercetin.