Physicochemical Properties of Diosmetin and Lecithin Complex

Purpose: To improve the hydrophobicity of diosmetin, the complex of diosmetin and lecithin was prepared and its physicochemical properties were characterized in this study. Methods: The complex of diosmetin and lecithin was prepared by solvent method. The physicochemical properties of the complex were investigated by ultraviolet-visible spectrometry (UV/Vis), infrared spectrometry (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and x-ray diffractometry (XRD). Results: Based on UV and IR analysis, there was no significant difference between the physical mixture and the complex while SEM showed that diosmetin in the complex did not present a crystal appearance but rather was dispersed in lecithin. DSC thermograms of the complex mainly showed that the presence of lecithin caused the characteristic endothermal peaks of diosmetin to disappear while x-diffractograms showed that the crystalline peaks of diosmetin was absent in the complex. Conclusion: The complex is held together by non-covalent-bond, and thus a new compound was not formed. Diosmetin in the complex is molecularly dispersed in the lecithin matrix.