Development and Characterization of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. Extract-Loaded Phytosomes for Enhanced Delivery...

M. crystallinum is an edible halophytic succulent plant rich in phenolic compounds with potential pharmaceutical applications. However, it is known that these phytocompounds generally present low absorption, which hinders their direct use in formulations. Therefore, delivery systems, such as phytosomes, can be regarded as a potential strategy to overcome this disadvantage. This study aimed, for the first time, to prepare extracts from the ice plant using different solvents and to incorporate them into phytosomes. Physicochemical characterization of these phytosomes, their antioxidant activity, as well as the quantification and in vitro release profile of their phenolic and flavonoid compounds were studied. Different extraction solvents were assayed, and Ethanol:Acetone (80:20) achieved a strong antioxidant activity (reaching ca. 71.16%), extracting 3200.3 mg of GAE/100 g and 761.7 mg of QE/100 g of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, respectively. The phytosomal formulation exhibited a mean particle size of 233.80 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.23, and a zeta potential of -27.27 mV. Furthermore, a high encapsulation efficiency (96.63%) of the extracts in the phytosomes was obtained. The in vitro release test indicated that the antioxidant activity was retained, reaching a maximum of 42%, accompanied by a release of 51% of the flavonoid content at the end of the 3 h assay, under the experimental conditions. These findings highlight the potential of phytosomes formulated with Mesembryanthemum crystallinum extract as a delivery system for antioxidant phytochemicals.