Investigation of the optimal fabrication of a single-carrier encapsulated fucoxanthin based on colloidal nanoparticles

Fucoxanthin (FX) is a carotenoid with antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer and anti-bacterial activities. It is poorly water soluble and highly sensitive to light, heat and the surrounding environment. Therefore, how to effectively encapsulate it and stabilize it for entry into the human body has become a key research question at present. This study developed a single-carrier to encapsulate FX and showed excellent characterization results. The experimental results showed that the diameters of FX-ZH particles prepared by the four encapsulation processes ranged from 143.83 to 216.93 nm. Comparison of antioxidant activity and stability to temperature and pH of the four complexes showed significant differences, with the best performance of the nanoparticles prepared using water-soluble method and a slow-speed stirrer. The nanocomplexes were proved to be more stable and more bioavailable, with a significant 34.41% increase in FX content relative to free FX in the intestinal phase. Inhibition of human leukaemia cells HL-60 cells remained high, with 11.14% ± 6.03% inhibition at FX concentrations of 1 μg/mL. This study encapsulated FX based on colloidal nanoparticle systems for the first time using a single-carrier material, an innovation and breakthrough that could simplify the experimental steps and provide the necessary basis for industrial realization.