Eutectic-based liposome as a potential delivery system of paeonol

Abstract

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs), as a new type of green solvent, show great advantages of easy preparation and no need of purification after synthesis and have great potential applications in various fields. Moreover, when combining active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with DESs, a new type of drug delivery system called a therapeutic deep eutectic solvent (THEDES) can be developed to increase the solubility of the APIs and/or their permeation ability as well as bioactivity. Herein, we have designed a new THEDES based on paeonol and lauric acid with a molar ratio of 1 : 1. The physicochemical properties as well as the bioactivity were investigated by a series of techniques. The THEDES showed better solubility in water and similar bioactivities as compared to the pure APIs. Besides, we further prepared a THEDES liposome, which possessed an average size of about 120 nm with an encapsulation efficiency of 84%. The obtained liposome showed good stability during the experimental period, which indicated a potential application for the delivery of paeonol. The results presented herein suggested that THEDES may be regarded as a new strategy for the effective delivery of APIs.