Fabrication of resveratrol-loaded zein nanoparticles based on flash nanoprecipitation

Resveratrol (Res) has drawn great interests due to its potential benefits on human health, while applications of Res in nutritional and pharmaceutical fields are limited due to its poor water solubility, low bioavailability and instability. Here in this work, an advanced anti-solvent precipitation strategy, flash nanoprecipitation (FNP), has been applied for controlled fabrication of Res-loaded nanoparticles (NPs). Specifically, solvent streams containing Res and zein (stabilizing polymers) blend with anti-solvent streams in a multi-inlet vortex mixer (MIVM), which enables fast mixing on the order of millisecond and creates kinetically trapped NPs. The efficient fabrication and effects of different control factors on the particle formation and properties have been fully explored by means of static and dynamic light scattering, TEM, fourier-transform infrared and fluorescence. The obtained NPs exhibit tunable sizes from 50 to 108 nm with narrow size distribution (PDI ∼ 0.1), enhanced drug loading content (30–57 %), improved stability and antioxidant capacity. These satisfied properties are assigned to the kinetic control of FNP, our study therefore develops a facile and alternative fabrication strategy for controlled preparation of Res-loaded NPs.