# Shaping Lycopene Nanoparticles Performance: How Surfactants Influence Stability, Antioxidant Activity, and Uptake in Human Skin Spheroids

## TL;DR

This paper explores how surfactants affect lycopene nanoparticle performance in skincare, focusing on stability, antioxidant activity, and skin cell uptake.

## Contribution

The study compares PVA and Tween 20 surfactants in lycopene nanoparticle formulations for improved stability and skin delivery.

## Key findings

- Tween 20 improves colloidal stability and nanoparticle internalization in skin spheroids.
- PVA enhances lycopene retention and antioxidant activity in nanoparticles.
- Both surfactants enable effective intracellular antioxidant activity in various skin cell models.

## Abstract

There is a growing demand for plant-derived antioxidants to replace synthetic ones in skincare applications. Phytochemicals are characterized by certain limitations, including poor bioavailability and chemical instability, which affect their industrial exploitation. Tomato peel extract has been used as a source of lycopene, which is renowned for its antioxidant properties. To improve the bioavailability of extracted lycopene, polymeric (poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nano-carriers were synthesized by comparing two non-ionic surfactants, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Tween 20. The impact of surfactants has been studied by evaluating: (i) colloidal stability determined by dynamic light scattering; (ii) lycopene retention and bioactivity over time, as measured by spectrophotometric assays; (iii) biological interactions on 2D and 3D keratinocyte and melanocyte cell cultures. It was found that both surfactants enable the formation of stable lycopene-loaded nanoparticles suspensions; however, greater colloidal stability was exhibited by nanoparticles prepared with Tween 20. PVA, on the other hand, provided greater nanoparticle stability in terms of loaded lycopene retention and antioxidant activity. Tween 20 surfactant improves the internalization of lycopene-loaded nanoparticles in human skin spheroids. It was demonstrated that both surfactants provided excellent intracellular antioxidant activity of lycopene. This was observed in keratinocytes, melanocytes, adherent cells, and spheroids, suggesting potential skincare applications.