The interactions between humic acids and Pluronic F127 produce nanoparticles useful for pharmaceutical applications

Humic acids (HAs) are macromolecules composed of a large variety of functional groups including phenols and carboxylic acids, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. HAs are completely soluble in aqueous medium in alkaline conditions only. At neutral pH, the protonation of the OH/OOH groups causes the formation of micelle-like structures containing a hydrophobic core. Pluronic F127 (PF127) is a nonionic and non-toxic block copolymer with surfactant properties, which are able to interact with HAs through hydrophobic interactions. In this work, these interactions were studied to determine the potential of HA–PF127 structures for pharmaceutical applications. The HAs used was composed of phenol (15.92 %), carboxylic (13.70 %), and other aromatic groups as characterized by 13 C NMR, GC–MS, and FTIR. Initially, the HA–PF127 interactions were identified by a fivefold decrease in the CMC of PF127. The effects of the HA:PF127 molar ratio were studied by adding naturally occurring HAs to PF127 dispersions under mechanical stirring. The highest ratios, 1:8 and 1:80, favored the formation of submicellar aggregates of approximately 100 nm and zeta potentials of −28.37 and −30.23 mV, respectively. HA–PF127 structures were spherical, with a polydispersity of approximately 0.43. These results show that the interactions between HAs and PF127 produce stable nanoparticles. These nanoparticles may be used as a carrier for hydrophobic bioactives and as an antioxidant or anti-inflammatory agent. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to develop HA–PF127 nanoparticles. Graphical Abstract