Design and formulation of Eudragit-coated zein/pectin nanoparticles for the colon delivery of resveratrol

Resveratrol (RSV) is a naturally occurring polyphenolic phytoalexin with beneficial effects on human health, including the treatment and prevention of ulcerative colitis and cancer. This work proposes the formulation and characterization of new nanoparticles (NPs) for the specific colon delivery of RSV. RSV was encapsulated in zein (Z) NPs, coated by a hydrophilic pectin (P) shell to significantly increase the dissolution rate of RSV in aqueous environments. Since the dissolved drug was strongly degraded in a simulated gastrointestinal tract, the ZP-NPs were coated with Eudragit S 100. The coated particles, even if aggregated, had a spherical morphology with diameters in the 100–200 nm range. Release studies of RSV from the ZP coated NPs evidenced their potential ability to induce a specific colon delivery of this drug so that this formulation can be proposed to enrich natural food products to enhance their preventive and therapeutic effects in the lower GI tract.