Nanoencapsulation Enhances Epigallocatechin-3-gallate Stability and Its Antiatherogenic Bioactivities in Macrophages

We have successfully synthesized (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) encapsulated nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCE) and chitosan-coated NLCE (CSNLCE) using natural lipids, surfactant, chitosan, and EGCG. Nanoencapsulation dramatically improved EGCG stability. CSNLCE significantly increased EGCG content in THP-1-derived macrophages compared with nonencapsulated EGCG. As compared to 10 mu M nonencapsulated EGCG, both NLCE and CSNLCE at the same concentration significantly decreased macrophage cholesteryl ester content. NLCE and. CSNLCE significantly decreased mRNA levels and protein secretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels in macrophages, respectively. These data suggest that nanoencapsulated EGCG may have a potential to inhibit atherosclerotic lesion development through decreasing macrophage cholesterol content and MCP-1 expression.