Korean red ginseng-conjugated linoleic acid-gamma linolenic acid-loaded nanoencapsulation for improving blood circulation

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a mixture of Korean red ginseng and unsaturated fatty acid-loaded nanoparticles to improve blood circulation. Two types of nanoparticles namely chitosan-arginine/fucoidan (CS-arg/Fu) and chitosan-arginine/fucoidan/γ-PGA (CS-arg/Fu/P) were prepared. The physical characteristics, entrapment efficiency, release properties, oxidative stability, platelet aggregation, and blood coagulation times were investigated. When the concentrations of Fu and γ-PGA were 600–1000 and 1–100 μg/mL, respectively, the CS-arg/Fu and CS-arg/Fu/P nanoparticles displayed a more homogeneous and smaller particle size distribution. The oxidative stability of the nanoparticles was greater than that of the non-nanoencapsulated mixtures. In addition, the platelet aggregation inhibitory activity significantly increased in the simulated gastric fluid. The blood coagulation time was significantly higher than in the non-nanoencapsulated mixture. These results suggest that Korean red ginseng and unsaturated fatty acid-loaded CS-arg/Fu and CS-arg/Fu/P nanoparticles can be used to improve blood circulation.