Designing Microparticles of Luteolin and Naringenin in Different Carriers via Supercritical Antisolvent Process

Antioxidants are contained in fruits and vegetables and are commonly obtained through food. However, it is frequently necessary to supplement the diet with substances that are often poorly soluble in water and sensitive to light and oxygen. For this reason, in this work, luteolin (LUT) and naringenin (NAR), two compounds with antioxidant activity and potential health benefits, were precipitated through the supercritical antisolvent technique using polyvinylpyrrolidone and β-cyclodextrin as the carriers. The precipitation occurred from dimethylsulfoxide using supercritical carbon dioxide as the antisolvent. The influence of pressure (9-12 MPa), active substance/carrier concentration in the solution (20-200 mg/mL), and their ratio (1/1 and 1/2 mol/mol) on morphology, particle mean size, and distribution were investigated. Under the optimized operating conditions, spherical microparticles with a mean diameter equal to 2.7 ± 0.9 μm (for LUT) and 5.5 ± 1.9 μm (for NAR) were obtained. The active ingredients were protected from the external environment by the presence of the carrier, and the dissolution rate was notably increased by processing them with β-cyclodextrin. It was sixty times faster and three times faster than that of the antioxidant alone for LUT and NAR, respectively.