Whey protein based electrosprayed nanospheres for encapsulation and controlled release of bioactive compounds from Tinospora cordifolia extract

The synergistic effects of bioactive compounds of Tinospora cordifolia have insulin mimicking and hypoglycemic activity, however, low bioavailability and poor stability limits its potential. In the present study, an appropriate delivery system was developed for the controlled release of its anti-diabetic activity. The bioactive compounds such as palmatine, berberine and palmatoside had better binding energy as observed in docking studies compared to that of the commercial active compounds. However, as these biocompounds from Tinospora cordifolia are associated with low stability and poor bioavailability, these compounds were encapsulated in a core-shell matrix of whey protein isolate. The bioactive compounds had highest antidiabetic activity in chloroform extract with an IC₅₀ concentration of 11.34 mg/ml. An increase in 28.12% activity was observed in nanoemulsion form with an average size of 82.68 ± 4.37 nm. The bioactive compounds were further encapsulated by electrospray technique for increased stability. The particles had an encapsulation efficiency of 91.2 ± 3.27% with an average particle size of 187 ± 2.71 nm. The kinetic study revealed the complete release of bioactive compounds after 24 h of incubation in buffer solution. This formulation can be further explored as novel nutraceutical delivery system with minimal side effects as compared to their synthetic counterparts. Considering the potential application of this developed technology, further upscaling as well as in-vivo experimentation on small as well as large animals should be performed.