Calcium Carbonate-based Microencapsulation Suppresses Thermal Oxidative Degradation and Enhances the Cellular Activity of Resveratrol

Abstract

Resveratrol is a bioactive polyphenol with well-established antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; however, its practical application is severely limited by poor aqueous solubility and rapid degradation under thermal and oxidative conditions. In this study, we developed a calcium carbonate (CaCO3)-based microencapsulation system (Resvera-CC) to enhance the stability of resveratrol through mineral confinement. The formulation enables efficient loading of resveratrol within CaCO3 microparticles, forming an inorganic–organic hybrid microcarrier system. Physicochemical characterization demonstrated that encapsulation effectively suppresses thermally accelerated oxidative degradation of resveratrol, as evidenced by significantly improved retention under elevated temperature (45℃) conditions. This stabilization is attributed to protective confinement within the mineral matrix and interfacial interactions, including electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and Ca2+ coordination. In vitro evaluation using human keratinocytes revealed that Resvera-CC exhibits enhanced biological activity compared to dose-matched free resveratrol, as indicated by increased filaggrin (FLG) expression while exhibiting excellent cytocompatibility. The enhanced biological response is associated with improved preservation of molecular integrity following encapsulation. From a practical perspective, the aqueous precipitation process enables controllable particle formation and scalable production. Collectively, these results demonstrate that CaCO3-based microencapsulation provides an effective strategy to suppress oxidative degradation and preserve the functional performance of labile bioactive compounds, supporting its potential application in functional ingredient stabilization and formulation technologies.