Cannabidiol Loaded Nanoemulsion with Improved Bioaccessibility and Anti-Inflammatory Activity

Yuna Lee; Sang Hoon Kim; Ha-Yeon Song; Eui-Baek Byun

doi:10.1021/acsomega.5c04608

Cannabidiol Loaded Nanoemulsion with Improved Bioaccessibility and Anti-Inflammatory Activity

ACS Omega. 2025 Oct 13;10(41):48146-48154. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c04608. eCollection 2025 Oct 21.

Authors

Yuna Lee¹, Sang Hoon Kim¹, Ha-Yeon Song¹, Eui-Baek Byun¹

Affiliation

¹ Advanced Radiation Technology Institute, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 29 Geumgu-gil, Jeongeup 56212, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Oral delivery of cannabidiol (CBD) is challenging because of its poor water solubility and low bioavailability, which restrict its therapeutic potential. In this study, we used a CBD-loaded oil-in-water nanoemulsion prepared from octenyl succinate anhydride (OSA)-modified starch to address these challenges. The CBD-encapsulated nanoemulsion (CBD-NE) exhibited a uniform particle size of 39.18 ± 0.15 nm, high encapsulation efficiency of 99.80 ± 0.13%, and maintained colloidal stability during storage for 28 days. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion demonstrated that the bioaccessibility of CBD in CBD-NE was higher than that in unformulated CBD. Furthermore, in vitro experiments using RAW264.7 macrophages showed that CBD-NE significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed lipopolysaccharide-induced secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Collectively, the improved bioaccessibility and potent anti-inflammatory efficacy of CBD-NE highlight its potential for therapeutic and nutraceutical applications.