Potential Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Astaxanthin Ionic Liquid Liposomes

Astaxanthin is an antioxidant with extremely high antioxidant activity. However, the stability and solubility of free astaxanthin are poor. Therefore, we prepared astaxanthin-betaine (ASTA-Bet) ionic liquid liposomes through a combination of theoretical calculations and experimental research and studied their physicochemical properties and biological effects. This liposome has good stability and skin permeability. The cumulative permeability of the ASTA-Bet ionic liquid liposome is 22.95 times that of free astaxanthin and 2.41 times that of the ASTA-Bet ionic liquid. The particle size of astaxanthin liposomes was 117.2 nm, and the particle size did not change significantly after 28 days of storage, indicating good stability. Compared with free astaxanthin, the ASTA-Bet ionic liquid liposome has good antioxidant activity and can exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects by regulating the TGF-β1/smad2/smad3 pathway damaged by ultraviolet radiation, which may contribute to the resistance to ultraviolet radiation damage. Therefore, it can be used as a raw material to develop cosmetics with antiaging and anti-inflammatory functions.