Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 6, 2026
Encapsulation of Cancer Therapeutic Agent Dacarbazine Using Nanostructured Lipid Carrier
Published on: April 26, 2016
Comparative evaluation of lipid-based nanocarriers encapsulating enriched astaxanthin extract from haematococcus
Ngoc-Bich-Dao Vu1,2,3, Dai-Nghiep Ngo1,2, Thi-Ngoc-Mai Tran3
1Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, Biotechnology, University of Science, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.
Purpose:
This study aimed to optimize the preparation conditions and compare the UVB protection efficacy of three lipid-based nanocarrier formulations encapsulating enriched astaxanthin extract (ATXex) derived from Haematococcus pluvialis.
Materials And Methods:
The lipid-based nanocarriers encapsulating ATXex (Nano-ATXex) included nanoliposomes (NL), nanoemulsions (NE), and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). The formulations were prepared using a combination of ultrasonication and high-shear homogenization (for NE-ATXex), hot homogenization (for NLC-ATXex), or thin-film hydration (for NL-ATXex). Key parameters were evaluated to determine optimized preparation conditions, including surfactant ratios, lipid-to-surfactant ratios, and dispersion phase concentrations. The biological activities of the optimized Nano-ATXex formulations were evaluated using ABTS, MTT, γ-H2AX, and β-galactosidase assays, with in vivo UVB protection assessed in a murine model.
Results:
All three Nano-ATXex formulations exhibited negative surface charge, spherical morphology, mean particle size of approximately 110 nm, PDI around 0.2, and high encapsulation efficiency exceeding 85%. The ABTS radical scavenging efficiency of Nano-ATXex was significantly higher than that of Trolox. Cytotoxicity was dependent on the lipid-based nanocarrier formulation and the concentration of ATXex. Biological activity evaluations demonstrated that NLC-ATXex significantly reduced the number of γ-H2AX foci per nucleus and the proportion of β-galactosidase-positive cells and mitigated UVB-induced skin damage more effectively than NE-ATXex and NL-ATXex.
Conclusions:
Three successfully optimized Nano-ATXex formulations protected against UVB-induced DNA damage and senescence in vitro and alleviated skin damage in vivo, with NLC-ATXex showing the highest efficacy. The differences in cytocompatibility and biological activities indicated the importance of selecting an appropriate lipid-based nanocarrier formulation. These findings support the potential of ATXex-loaded nanocarriers in skin protection applications.
