Preparation and evaluation of quercetin-loaded lecithin-chitosan nanoparticles for topical delivery

Qi Tan¹, Weidong Liu^1,2, Chenyu Guo¹, Guangxi Zhai^1
1Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Shandong University, Jinan; ²Department of Pharmacy, Linyi People's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Linyi, People's Republic of China

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate lecithin-chitosan nanoparticles as a topical delivery system for quercetin.
Methods: Tocopheryl propylene glycol succinate was chosen to be the surfactant for the nanosystem. The mean particle size of the nanoparticles was 95.3 nm, and the entrapment efficiency and drug loading for quercetin were 48.5% and 2.45%, respectively. Topical delivery in vitro and in vivo of the quercetin-loaded nanoparticles was evaluated using quercetin propylene glycol solution as the control.
Results: Compared with quercetin solution, the quercetin-loaded nanoparticles showed higher permeation ability, and significantly increased accumulation of quercetin in the skin, especially in the epidermis. Microstructure observation of the skin surface after administration indicated that the interaction between ingredients of the nanoparticles and the skin surface markedly changed the morphology of the stratum corneum and disrupted the corneocyte layers, thus facilitating the permeation and accumulation of quercetin in skin.
Conclusion: Lecithin-chitosan nanoparticles are a promising carrier for topical delivery of quercetin.

Keywords: quercetin, tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate, lecithin, chitosan, nanoparticles, topical delivery