In vitro lipolysis and physicochemical characterization of unconventional star anise oil towards the development of new lipid-based drug delivery systems
Jannet Kamoun,
Fatma Krichen,
Imed Koubaa,
Nacim Zouari,
Ali Bougatef,
Abdelkarim Abousalham,
Ahmed Aloulou
Affiliations
Jannet Kamoun
University of Sfax, National Engineering School of Sfax, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Enzymatic Engineering of Lipases, Sfax 3038, Tunisia; Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (ICBMS), UMR 5246 CNRS, Génie Enzymatique, Membranes Biomimétiques et Assemblages Supramoléculaires (GEMBAS), Bât Raulin, 43 Bd du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
Fatma Krichen
University of Sfax, National Engineering School of Sfax, Laboratory of Plant Improvement and Valorization of Agro-resources, Sfax 3038, Tunisia
Imed Koubaa
University of Sfax, Faculty of Science of Sfax, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Sfax 3038, Tunisia
Nacim Zouari
University of Gabes, Higher Institute of Applied Biology of Medenine, Medenine 4119, Tunisia
Ali Bougatef
University of Sfax, National Engineering School of Sfax, Laboratory of Plant Improvement and Valorization of Agro-resources, Sfax 3038, Tunisia
Abdelkarim Abousalham
Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (ICBMS), UMR 5246 CNRS, Génie Enzymatique, Membranes Biomimétiques et Assemblages Supramoléculaires (GEMBAS), Bât Raulin, 43 Bd du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
Ahmed Aloulou
University of Sfax, National Engineering School of Sfax, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Enzymatic Engineering of Lipases, Sfax 3038, Tunisia; Corresponding author.
Lipid-based drug delivery systems are widely used for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. However, following oral intake, lipid excipients often undergo gastrointestinal lipolysis, which drastically affects drugs solubility and bioavailability. That's why developing new lipid excipients which are resistant to digestion would be of great interest. We studied here the potential role of the unconventional Chinese star anise whole seedpod oil (CSAO) as an alternative multifunctional lipid excipient. Pancreatic lipase-mediated digestion of the extracted crude oil emulsion was assessed in vitro. Pancreatic lipase, being a strict sn-1,3-regioselective lipase, showed a high (16-fold) olive oil to CSAO activity ratio, which could be attributed to fatty acids composition and triglycerides intramolecular structure. For the sake of comparison, the non-regioselective lipase Novozyme® 435 exhibited higher activity than pancreatic lipase on CSAO emulsion, perhaps due to its ability to release fatty acids from the internal sn-2 position of TAGs. Apart counteracting lipolysis, CSAO oil also showed additional biopharmaceutical benefits including moderate antioxidant and antihypertensive activities. Altogether, these findings highlight for the first time the potential use of star anise unconventional whole seedpod oil as a multifunctional lipid excipient for the development of new lipid formulations.
