Improved physical stability of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid encapsulated using nanoliposome containing α‐tocopherol

Summary This study aimed to develop a nanoliposomal formulation containing α‐tocopherol loaded with eicosapentaenoic acid ( EPA ) and docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA ) and to characterise the formulation by its physical stability. For this purpose, different nanoliposomal formulations with dipalmitoyl phosphocholine were prepared using a modified thin‐film hydration method and evaluated by particle size, polydispersity index ( PDI ), transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and determining the encapsulation efficiencies of DHA and EPA . A physical stability study was conducted by investigating the change in the vesicle encapsulation efficiency, particle size, PDI and shape when stored at 4, 30 and 40 °C for 3 months. High encapsulation efficiency of DHA and EPA (89.1% ± 0.6% and 81.9% ± 1.4%) and appropriate particle size (82 ± 0.8 nm) were obtained for liposomes composed of α‐tocopherol. The optimum formulation was stable for 90 days when kept at 4 °C. This study demonstrated that α‐tocopherol had a protective effect on the physical stability of the nanoliposomes containing DHA and EPA .