Phytosterols are natural compounds of plant origin, they have benefits for human health e.g. hypocholesterolemic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic effects. However, the use of free phytosterols in fat-based foods is significantly limited due to their relatively low solubility in oil, or low oxidative stability. Searching for new derivatives of phytosterols with higher thermooxidative stability as potential food ingredients, we paid our attention to the utility of the acylglycerol scaffold as the lipid carrier of bioactive compounds. The subject of research were new conjugates of stigmasterol with 1,3- and 1,2-acylglycerols of palmitic and oleic acid. The obtained conjugates were used to form lipid nanoparticles (liposomes) in combination with a common membrane lipid, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). The effect of conjugates on the physicochemical properties of liposomes, such as order, fluidity and the temperature of the main phase transition of DPPC was determined. In addition, it was checked whether these mixed liposomes would bind to the human serum albumin (HSA). The results indicate that conjugates containing palmitic acid are better candidates for use as the potential stigmasterol nanocarriers compared to those with oleic acid. It was also observed that the obtained conjugates incorporated in the liposomes are able to interact with HSA. The obtained results are the first step in a design of stigmasterol-enriched liposomal carriers with higher thermooxidative stability for their potential use in the food industry.
Acknowledgements: This research was financed by the National Science Center, project 2018/31/B/NZ9/00602.