Bioactivities of Wood Vinegar Distillate Derived from Rhizophora Apiculata and Its Liposomal Encapsulation for Stability Enhancement

Chiam, You Kai (2026) Bioactivities of Wood Vinegar Distillate Derived from Rhizophora Apiculata and Its Liposomal Encapsulation for Stability Enhancement. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

Text CHIAM YOU KAI_FULL TEXT.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (20MB)

Abstract

Wood vinegar (WV) exhibits diverse bioactivities with applications in agriculture, environmental management, health, industry and food, but its potential application in oral care remains underexplored. This study compared the bioactivities of wood vinegar distillate from Rhizophora apiculata (WVD) with a commercial mouthwash (MW), focusing on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Since WVD progressively darkened during storage, likely due to the oxidation and polymerization of light- and oxygen-sensitive phenolic compounds, the second phase of this study explored liposomal encapsulation by synthesizing wood vinegar distillate-loaded liposomes (WVD-LP) to enhance its stability. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of WVD and MW were assessed using DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging assays and the BSA denaturation assay, while total phenolic content (TPC) of WVD was determined as well. Unloaded liposomes (UN-LP) and WVD-LP were prepared by thin-film hydration method, and characterized for particle size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential. UV-Vis spectrophotometry and phase-contrast microscopy were used for encapsulation confirmation and morphological observation, respectively. WVD showed stronger DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities than MW at concentrations ranging from 2.5% to 40% (v/v), and outperformed MW in the BSA denaturation assay at 1.25% to 5% (v/v). The TPC of WVD was 2.63±0.06 mg GAE/mL, and its superior bioactivities over MW were likely attributable to its phenolic compounds. The particle size, PDI and zeta potential of UN-LP were 549.7±80.1nm, 0.27±0.03 and -12.8±2.4mV, respectively. For WVD-LP, the corresponding values were 799.2±41.0nm, 0.14±0.09 and -8.4±2.3mV. Encapsulation efficiency of WVD-LP was 33.93%. Notably, WVD-LP remained color-stable under light exposure, indicating liposomal encapsulation as an effective protection strategy against degradation of photosensitive compounds, while WVD’s superior bioactivities over MW highlight its potential for oral care applications.