Theospheres Based onTheobroma GrandiflorumSeed Butter: Development of Innovative Nanoparticles for Skin Application

Lipid nanoparticles have been developed for application of active substances to the skin, both for pharmaceutical and cosmetic uses. In the present work, we proposed the first application of a non-refined natural biodegradable and biocompatible lipid—Cupuaçu seed butter (Theobroma grandiflorum)—for the preparation of lipid nanoparticles, which are called theospheres. Theospheres were prepared by two different methods, emulsification-solvent evaporation and high pressure homogenization technique, using Cupuaçu butter at different concentrations. Theospheres prepared by both methods showed size in the nanometrical range (around 200 nm) and narrow particle size distribution (0.2). Theosphere suspensions were stable for 30 days, excepting the systems containing 15 and 20% of butter prepared by emulsification-solvent evaporation method. Multiple light scattering analyses showed that physical instability was avoided by increasing the number of homogenization cycles during preparation in the systems prepared by high pressure homogenization. The DSC and X-ray analysis showed that the preparation method influenced the cristallinity of the lipid in the theospheres. The results showed that Cupuaçu butter is an alternative and promising compound for nanoparticle formulation, especially if it is used in concentrations up to 10%, irrespective to the preparation method.