Resveratrol-Loaded Nanoparticles Reduce Oxidative Stress Induced by Radiation or Amyloid-β in Transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans

Resveratrol (trans-3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene, RES) is a naturally occurring lipophilic antioxidant that has been intensively studied for its promising efficacy in treating oxidative stress-associated disorders. Despite the array of bioactivities that it possesses, RES has low bioavailability due to its poor aqueous solubility and dissolution properties. Recent nanotechnology has led to the effective development of drug delivery systems. In this study, RES-loaded nanoparticles (RES-NPs) were prepared based on amphiphilic methoxy-polyethyleneglycol-poly-caprolactone (mPEG-PCL) block copolymers, which improve the physical properties of resveratrol in aqueous solution. The antioxidative capacity of RES-NPs was then evaluated sequentially in vitro and in vivo. RES-NPs exhibited stronger radical scavenging and anti-lipid peroxidization compared to that of raw RES in aqueous solution. The pre-treatment of irradiated Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) with RES-NPs extended both the maximum and mean life span. Furthermore, the RES-NPs were capable of alleviating injury from gamma-ray radiation and amyloid-beta peptide overexpression toxicity in C. elegans through radical scavenging and over-regulation of SOD-3 expression. The enhancement of in vitro antioxidation properties in aqueous solution and protection against oxidative stress in C. elegans induced by both gamma-ray radiation and amyloid-beta peptide confirmed the successful development of antioxidant nanoparticles.