Preparation and properties of phytosterols with hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes

In order to enhance the solubility and bioavailability of phytosterols (PS), cyclodextrin–PS (CD–PS) inclusion complexes were prepared and the properties of PS-β-cyclodextrin (PS-β-CD) and the inclusion mechanism of its derivative hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin (PS-HP-β-CD) in solution were also evaluated. The effects of crucial parameters on cyclodextrin–sterol inclusion efficiency were optimized, including solvent type, β-CD/PS molar ratio, temperature, PS content and reaction time; 92–98 % inclusion efficiency was achieved under the conditions of HP-β-CD/PS ratio 3:1–4:1, PS concentration 15–20 mM, temperature 50–55 °C, reaction time 12 h. For β-CD host, butanol was a good solvent for PS inclusion reaction. The properties of CD–PS inclusion complexes were characterized by differential scanning calorimetric, scanning electron microscopy, UV–Vis scanning spectrophotometer (UV–Vis) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), which demonstrated that there are intermolecular hydrogen bonds between PS and HP-β-CD in inclusion complex, resulting in the formation of amorphous form. To clarify the mechanism of the increase in the solubility and bioactivity of HP-β-CD–PS inclusion complexes, the structure of CD as well as the interaction of the HP-β-CD–PS inclusion formation was elucidated. The conclusions indicated that PS-HP-β-CD showed higher water solubility with greater solubilizing and complexing capabilities than PS-β-CD and PS itself.