Colloidal mesoporous silica nanoparticles enhance the biological activity of resveratrol

Abstract The naturally occurring polyphenol resveratrol (RES) has attracted increasing attention in recent years due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activity. However, resveratrol’s promising potential as a nutraceutical is hindered by its poor aqueous solubility, which limits its biological activity. Here we show that encapsulating resveratrol in colloidal mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MCM-48-RES) enhances its saturated solubility by ∼95% and increases its in vitro release kinetics compared to pure resveratrol. MCM-48-RES showed high loading capacity (20% w/w) and excellent encapsulation efficiency (100%). When tested against HT-29 and LS147T colon cancer cell lines, MCM-48-RES-mediated in vitro cell death was higher than that of pure resveratrol, mediated via the PARP and cIAP1 pathways. Finally, MCM-48-RES treatment also inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced NF-κB activation in RAW264.7 cells, demonstrating improved anti-inflammatory activity. More broadly, our observations demonstrate the potential of colloidal mesoporous silica nanoparticles as next generation delivery carriers for hydrophobic nutraceuticals.