Utilisation of spontaneous emulsification to fabricate lutein‐loaded nanoemulsion‐based delivery systems: factors influencing particle size and colour

Factors influencing the formation and properties of lutein‐loaded nanoemulsions fabricated using spontaneous emulsification (SE) were investigated. Nanoemulsion formation depended on oil type: small droplets (diameter ≈ 200 nm) with a narrow monomodal particle size distribution (polydispersity index ≈ 0.23) could be formed using medium‐chain triglycerides (MCT), but not long‐chain triglycerides. Nanoemulsion formation also depended on surfactant type and concentration, with Tween 80 being the most effective surfactant. Optimisation of lutein‐loaded nanoemulsions formed by SE led to systems with a final composition of 10 wt% oil phase (0.12 wt% lutein + 9.88 wt% MCT), 10 wt% Tween 80, and 80 wt% aqueous phase. The nanoemulsions were stable to droplet aggregation when stored at ambient temperature for up to 1 month; however, some colour fading occurred due to lutein degradation. This study indicated the potential of nanoemulsion‐based delivery system fabricated using a low‐energy method for encapsulation and protection of lutein.     

Controlled delivery of lipophilic agents to cell cultures for in vitro toxicity and biocompatibility assays

Synopsis
In this report, we present a novel method for delivering lipophilic compounds to cell cultures. The delivery system is based on a nanoemulsion stabilized by phospholipids. These nanoemulsions are well tolerated by cell cultures, such as TK6 lymphoblastoid cells and can be used to deliver defined amounts of encapsulated lipophilic compounds into cells.
We measured the growth inhibition of TK6 lymphoblastoid cells caused by different oils, UV-filters and fragrances to determine the biocompatibility or the toxicity of these compounds in simple cell culture experiments. Our data show that the applied nanoemulsion technology is also very suitable to study biological effects of the UV-A-irradiated compounds in cell culture assays.
Résumé
Dans ce compte-rendu, nous présentons une nouvelle méthode pour dispenser des composés lipophiles à des cultures de cellules. Le système de répartition est fondé sur une nanoémulsion stabilisée par des phospholipides. Ces nanoémulsions sont bien tolérées par les cultures cellulaires, comme les cellules lymphoblastoides TK6 et peuvent etre employées pour délivrer des quantités précises de composés lipophiles encapsulés aux cellules.
Nous avons mesuré l'inhibition de la croissance des cellules lymphoblastoides TK6 provoquée par diverses huiles, des filtres UV et des parfums pour déterminer la biocompatibilité ou la toxicité de ces composés par des essais sur de simples cultures de cellules. Nos données montrent que l'utilisation de la technologie des nanoémulsions convient également à l'étude des effects biologiques des composés irradiés par des UVA dans les cultures cellulaires.     

Application of Oil/Water Nanoemulsions as a New Alternative to Demulsify Crude Oil

Oil-in-water nanoemulsions were developed and evaluated for effectiveness in breaking down crude oil emulsions. The nanoemulsions were prepared using two types of ethoxylated nonionic surfactants: nonylphenol and lauryl ether, at a concentration of 12 wt%, and the solvent xylene as the oil phase, at different concentrations (5, 7, and 10 wt%). The results of the demulsification tests showed that the nanoemulsions developed are a viable alternative to break down petroleum emulsions, with efficiency ranging from 90 to 95%. Also, the greater the xylene concentration in the nanoemulsion, the faster the demulsification process was.