Nisin Z-Loaded Chitosan-Pectin Coated Liposomes for Controlled Release and Antibiofilm Activity

Abstract Pathogenic biofilms and complex biological environments significantly limit the therapeutic efficacy of antimicrobial peptides such as Nisin Z due to rapid degradation and poor penetration. In this study, we developed a Nisin Z-loaded chitosan-pectin coated liposome (LCPN) as a lipid-polymer hybrid nanosystem to overcome these limitations. The optimized LCP formulation exhibited an average particle size of 278.4 ± 3.1 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.229 ± 0.326, and a surface charge of −28.7 ± 0.8 mV. Furthermore, the nanosystem achieved a high encapsulation efficiency of 63.84% and demonstrated a sustained release profile, delivering 63.64% of Nisin Z over 72 h. In addition, LCPN exhibited a sustained release profile, contributing to prolonged antimicrobial activity. Functionally, the LCPN system demonstrated strong antibiofilm efficacy (88.13% at 350 μg/mL), effectively enhancing disruption of pre-formed biofilms and significantly reducing bacterial biomass compared to free Nisin Z. Notably, in vivo evaluation in a shrimp infection model showed enhanced antibacterial performance in hemolymph, resulting in improved survival rates (83.3% at 14 days post-infection) and growth performance following Vibrio challenge. These findings suggest that the chitosan-pectin coated liposomal platform is a highly stable and controlled-release delivery system for antimicrobial peptides, offering a promising and targeted strategy for disease management in aquaculture.