Surface-Engineered Nanocellulose for Vitamin E Delivery: A Comparative Study of Unmodified and Aminated Cellulose Nanocrystals

Authors

https://doi.org/10.48313/bic.vi.78

Abstract

Vitamin E is an important lipid-soluble antioxidant; however, its poor aqueous dispersibility and limited stability can restrict its effective delivery. Nanocellulose-based nanocarriers offer a promising platform for improving the incorporation and controlled release of poorly water-dispersible bioactive compounds. In this study, surface amination of Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC) was investigated as a strategy to improve their performance as vitamin E nanocarriers. Unmodified CNC and aminated CNC (CNC–NH₂) were prepared and comparatively characterized in terms of elemental composition, particle size, Polydispersity Index (PDI), zeta potential, morphology, and crystalline structure. Vitamin E was incorporated into both nanocarriers, and the formulations were evaluated for Encapsulation Efficiency (EE%), Loading Capacity (LC%), particle characteristics, in vitro release behavior, release kinetics, and antioxidant activity. Amination substantially increased the nitrogen content from 0.14±0.03% to 2.84±0.17% and changed the zeta potential from −28.7±1.6 to +21.6±1.8 mV, confirming successful surface functionalization. The optimized vitamin E-loaded CNC–NH₂ exhibited higher EE (87.9±1.5%) and LC (5.9±0.1%) than Vit-E/CNC (76.8±1.7% and 5.1 ± 0.1%, respectively). CNC–NH₂ also provided a more sustained release profile, with 68.7±2.8% vitamin E released after 48 h compared with 76.9±2.9% from Vit-E/CNC. Kinetic analysis showed that the release profiles were well described by the Korsmeyer–Peppas model for Vit-E/CNC (R²=0.995) and by the Higuchi model for Vit-E/CNC–NH₂ (R²=0.988), indicating a substantial contribution of diffusion to vitamin E release. The corresponding Korsmeyer–Peppas exponent values were 0.610 and 0.588 for Vit-E/CNC and Vit-E/CNC–NH₂, respectively, suggesting anomalous/non-Fickian release behavior. Importantly, Vit-E/CNC–NH₂ maintained high antioxidant activity, achieving 92.3±2.0% DPPH radical inhibition at 200 µg/mL. Overall, surface amination enhanced the loading performance and modified the release behavior of nanocellulose while preserving the antioxidant activity of vitamin E. The CNC–NH₂ system therefore represents a promising surface-engineered nanocarrier for vitamin E delivery and may provide a useful platform for the delivery of other poorly water-dispersible bioactive compounds.

Keywords:

Vitamin E, α-Tocopherol, Cellulose nanocrystals, Aminated nanocellulose, Drug delivery, Controlled release, Antioxidant activity

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Published

2026-09-15

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 3 (2026): Biocompounds

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Hassanzadeh, F. . (2026). Surface-Engineered Nanocellulose for Vitamin E Delivery: A Comparative Study of Unmodified and Aminated Cellulose Nanocrystals. Biocompounds, 3(3), 218-233. https://doi.org/10.48313/bic.vi.78

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