Tea saponins as natural stabilizers for the production of hesperidin nanosuspensions

Tea saponins (TS), a novel multifunctional stabilizer, were explored to stabilize the nanosuspensions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of TS on the stability and redispersibility of nanosuspensions. In present work, hesperidin (HDN), a poorly soluble drug, was used as a model drug. HDN nanosuspensions (HDN-NS) with particle size of 250-270 nm were prepared by high-speed shearing and high-pressure homogenization. The zeta potential of HDN-NS was -23.16 +/- 1.12 mV. Compared with traditional stabilizers, TS were superior in stabilization efficiency at low concentrations. Nanosuspensions freeze-dried powder using TS and lactose as cryoprotectants had good redispersibility, and the average particle size was 266.5 +/- 9.0 nm after reconstitution. TS and lactose can effectively prevent the irreversible agglomeration of HDN-NS during freezedrying. The dissolution was enhanced owing to particle size reduction. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that HDN nanocrystals were irregularly lumpy. The chemical structure and crystal state of HDN had not significantly changed during production. In conclusion, TS have the potential to stabilize and disperse nanosuspensions and provide a promising strategy for the development of poorly soluble drugs.