Poly(Glycerol-Sebacate)-Based Delivery Systems, Alternative Routes For Polyphenols Administration

Since ancient years, humans have benefited from the advantages of polyphenols for human health. It is well-known that the regular assumption of polyphenol-rich foods in the human diet significantly decreases the incidence of several chronic diseases1. However, their rapid metabolism and low bioavailability may hamper their applications. Furthermore, polyphenols extracts commonly result susceptible to oxidation reactions and their administration may be hampered by low solubility and stability in physiological environments2. In this context, their possible encapsulation within a polymeric system may represent an alternative administration route able to preserve polyphenols' stability by reducing possible side effects and achieving high efficacy at lower doses. In the present study, two different polyphenols were encapsulated, by nanoprecipitation method, within poly(glycerol-sebacate) nanoparticles (PGS-NPs) namely: curcumin (already studied in the literature in different delivery systems3) and anthocyanins (identified in polar extracts from the industrial residuals of Serenoa repens fruits). PGS was selected as delivery system given its unique physical features and both monomers used for its synthesis, glycerol and sebacic acid, are FDA-approved and biocompatible4. The biological investigation of the developed nanosystem demonstrated an enhancement of curcumin stability, high cytotoxicity and pro-apoptotic activity against cervical cancer cells.