Preparation and properties of nonionic vesicles prepared with polyglycerol fatty acid esters using the supercritical carbon dioxide reverse phase evaporation method

Abstract

Previously, we reported a new preparation method for liposomes and niosomes (nonionic vesicles) using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as the solvent (scRPE method). In this study, niosomes were prepared from polyglycerol fatty acid ester (PG ester)-type nonionic surfactants. These surfactants are made from naturally derived materials and are neither harmful to the human body nor to the environment. Niosomes were prepared using the scRPE method with ethanol as the co-solvent. Through this method, decaglycerol distearate (DG2S) and decaglycerol diisostearate (DG2IS) formed niosomes. On the other hand, decaglycerol monostearate (DG1S), which has a high hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value, yielded a solution of spherical micelles, and decaglycerol tristearate (DG3S), which has a low HLB value, yielded a gel-like solution. Niosomes of DG2IS had higher trapping efficiencies and dispersion stabilities than those of DG2S because the membrane fluidity of the DG2IS niosomes was greater than that of the DG2S niosomes. The niosomes obtained in the present study are candidates for cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications because they are formed from nonionic surfactants derived from natural sources, and prepared using the scRPE method, which avoids the use of harmful organic solvents.