Comparative study of the oxidative and physical stability of liposomal and nanoliposomal polyunsaturated fatty acids prepared with conventional and Mozafari methods

► Physical and oxidative stability of liposomes increase by decrease of their size. ► No significant change in physicochemical stability during 10months of storage. ► The highest physicochemical stability was observed in Mozafari’s PUFA liposomes. The relative oxidative stability of freshly prepared and stored liposomal and nanoliposomal systems of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n−3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n−3) were investigated. The effects of organic solvents on the oxidative stability of liposomal polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) produced by two methods, the Bangham thin-film hydration (conventional rotary evaporation method and using organic solvents) and Mozafari (direct hydration and without using organic solvents) methods, were compared. The highest physicochemical stability was observed in PUFA liposomes prepared by the Mozafari method, followed by conventional liposomes and bulk PUFAs. There was no significant change in physicochemical stability during 10months of cold storage (4°C) in the dark. Moreover, the comparison between liposomes (>200nm) and nanoliposomes (50–200nm) revealed that the surface charge, physical stability and oxidative stability of liposomal PUFAs increased as the size of the liposomes decreased. The differences in the oxidative stability of PUFAs may be due to the protective effects of aqueous systems, which indicate the advantage of using non-organic solvent (water and CO2) techniques in liposome manufacturing.