Oat protein-shellac nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle for resveratrol to improve bioavailability in vitro and in vivo.

Aim: Oat protein-shellac nanoparticles (NPs) were developed as a delivery system for resveratrol to improve bioavailability. Materials & methods: The NPs were prepared from w/w emulsion followed by cold-gelation. In vitro release and cell uptake mechanism of NPs were estimated by HPLC and confocal laser scanning microscopy. In vivo bioavailability and hepatoprotective activity of encapsulated resveratrol were studied using rat models. Results & conclusion: NPs (90-300 nm) protected resveratrol in gastric fluid, while allowing controlled release into small intestine in vitro. The optimized NPs showed improvement in resveratrol cell uptake and transport when compared with free resveratrol. NP-100S increased resveratrol bioavailability up to 72.4%, and the absorbed resveratrol effectively prevented CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity by attenuating oxidative stress.