Solubility enhancement and antioxidation maintenance of CBD encapsulated in the P407-RUB nano-micelle system

Aim: The aim of this study is to improve the water solubility and stability of cannabidiol (CBD) utilizing micelle technology.

Materials and methods: Mixing of rubusoside (RUB) with Poloxamer 407 (P407) was explored as the wall material for the preparation of CBD micelles. In this study, CBD-loaded mixed micelles (CBD-M) composed of P407 and RUB was successfully formed by self-assembly then solid were prepared by solvent evaporation. The saturated solubility of CBD-loaded micelles in water increased to 15.60 mg/mL, 1560-fold compared with its intrinsic solubility (0.01 mg/mL). The average size of CBD-M was 103 ± 2.66 nm and the encapsulation efficiency for CBD was 92.8+4.7 %, and 18.6 +0.94% for drug-loading.

Results: The morphology and encapsulation of CBD-M were characterized by TEM, FI-IR, DSC and TG. The CBD-M solution was stable and CBD-M did not precipitate or leak after being diluted and centrifugated. Besides, CBD-M solution was stable for 6 months at 4°C and room temperature. In vitro antioxidant studies found that the antioxidant activity of CBD remained at the same level after micellization.

Conclusion: These results suggest that CBD-M may be a promising and competitive formulation for the delivery of CBD, laying a foundation for improving the bioavailability in the future.