Hemp proteins conjugated with green tea polyphenol extract form de novo plant-sourced emulsifiers suitable for nanodelivery systems bearing lipophilic psychopharmaceuticals
ChemRxiv February 27, 2025 William Charles Hosie, Mary Augustina Egbuta, Kasra Razmkhah et al.
A new class of biocompatible emulsifiers was created by conjugating hemp protein with green tea polyphenols using a simple pH-assisted coupling protocol. These emulsifiers were used to produce hemp oil nanoemulsions enriched with 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), achieving average droplet sizes of about 200 nm and ζ potential values of about -40 mV. The polyphenol-conjugated emulsifiers protected the sensitive drug under simulated oxidative stress, indicating retained antioxidant properties. The emulsions resisted various stressors and showed colloidal stability for 4 weeks without phase separation. Cellular uptake was confirmed by imaging, and in vitro cytotoxicity assays showed acceptable cell viability with drug-loaded nanoemulsions, offering an ingestible formulation for improved bioavailability of 5-MeO-DMT.