# Quercetin-Loaded Zein/Carboxymethyl Chitosan Nanoparticles: Preparation, Characterization and Evaluation for Enhanced Stability and Antioxidant Activity

## TL;DR

This study creates nanoparticles to improve quercetin's stability and antioxidant activity, making it more suitable for use in medicine.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the development of quercetin-loaded zein/carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles with enhanced stability and antioxidant properties.

## Key findings

- ZCQ NPs showed high stability against light, heat, and ion strength.
- ZCQ NPs maintained monodispersity and minimal particle size changes during long-term storage.
- ZCQ NPs exhibited superior antioxidant capacity compared to free quercetin.

## Abstract

As a natural flavonoid compound, quercetin possesses excellent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic activities. However, the poor water solubility and sensitivity to the environment severely limit the application of quercetin. Initially, quercetin-loaded zein/carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles (ZCQ NPs) were prepared using an anti-solvent precipitation method. The fabricated ZCQ NPs exhibited a small particle size and polydispersity index (PDI). The ZCQ NPs had a negative zeta potential with an absolute value of 41.50 ± 1.76 mV. ZCQ NPs could remain highly stable against light, heat and ion strength. In addition, ZCQ NPs maintained good monodispersity and displayed minimal changes in particle size under long-term storage conditions. Additionally, a superior antioxidant capacity of ZCQ NPs was also observed in the free radical and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging study compared to that of free quercetin. All these results of this study suggest that ZCQ NPs could serve as an effective drug delivery system for encapsulating and delivering quercetin.