Constructing liposomal nanovesicles of ginseng extract against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage to L929 cells

In this study, a liposomal nanovesicle was applied as a nanocarrier of ginseng extract (GE) to enhance the intracellular antioxidant activity of GE. The optimal condition of preparing GE liposomal nanovesicle (GELN) was prepared by tagging with 3.0 mol% of polyethenyl glycol (PEG3.0) followed by homogenisation at 15,000 psi for 5 min to reduce its diameter to ∼150 nm. PEG3.0-GELN encapsulated the most ginsenosides (234.1 ± 13.9 mg/g) with a higher reducing power than GELNs tagged with lower amounts of PEG (0–1.5 mol%). After treatment with PEG3.0-GELN (20 μg ginsenoside/ml), the % increase in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ) of H2O2-damaged cells rose 20.9% and the % decrease in apoptosis increased 12.4%, compared with those treated with GE. Therefore, this investigation proved that utilising liposomal nanovesicles to encapsulate GE can effectively suppress the depolarisation of ΔΨ and thus enhance the survival rate of H2O2-damaged cells.