Abstract:
Hyperoside (HYP), a valuable flavonoid compound with demonstrated antioxidant, anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activities, suffers from limited practical applications due to its poor water solubility and low bioavailability. To address these challenges, this study developed an innovative nano-delivery system by encapsulating HYP within soybean hydrophobic peptide nanocomplexes (SPN-HYP) through a pH-driven self-assembly approach. The optimized SPN-HYP formulation exhibited excellent encapsulation efficiency exceeding 90%, a substantial drug loading capacity of 18.88%, and uniform nanoparticle size distribution ranging from 160-180 nm. Comprehensive characterization using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the successful incorporation of HYP into the nanocomplexes, while stability tests revealed less than 10% particle size variation during 15 days of storage at 4 ℃. Most importantly, in vitro simulated digestion experiments demonstrated that the SPN-HYP system enhanced HYP's bioaccessibility by 1.6-fold compared to free HYP (p<0.05), while effectively maintaining its antioxidant capacity. These findings collectively indicate that soybean peptide-based nanocomplexes represent a promising and practical strategy for improving the delivery and application of HYP in functional foods and pharmaceutical products.