{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T12:53:30Z","timestamp":1792760010106,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784678400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100009570","name":"Srinakharinwirot University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["391\/2566"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["391\/2566"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100009570","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["391\/2566"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["391\/2566"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04718hx42","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Quercetin, a plant-derived flavonoid with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, is limited for topical use by its poor aqueous solubility, low bioavailability, and chemical instability. This research developed and validated a formulation-driven strategy to stabilize quercetin by encapsulating it in lipid nanoparticles (QLNs) and embedding these in a Carbopol hydrogel, providing comprehensive physicochemical and functional stability data. A fully validated HPLC-PDA assay was used to quantify quercetin in the nanoparticle\u2013hydrogel matrix. In vitro bioactivity testing showed notable antioxidant activity (DPPH IC50 6.84 \u00b1 0.12 \u00b5g\/mL; ABTS IC50 4.04 \u00b1 0.08 \u00b5g\/mL; FRAP 301.46 \u00b1 3.68 \u00b5g\/mL) and an anti-inflammatory effect in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages (1 \u00b5M quercetin reduced NO from 50.72 \u00b1 2.00 \u00b5M to 41.57 \u00b1 3.12 \u00b5M, p &lt; 0.05). Forced degradation mapping across acidic, basic, oxidative, and photolytic conditions defined degradation pathways (complete loss in 1 N NaOH at 24 h; greater retention in 1 N HCl, 3% H2O2, and UV-254). QLN\u2013hydrogel formulations remained physically and chemically stable through heating\u2013cooling cycles and 180-day storage at multiple temperatures, retaining &gt;90% quercetin and preserving antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities (&lt;10% reduction). These results establish a robust, application-ready approach for maintaining quercetin\u2019s chemical integrity and bioactivity in topical formulations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules31142539","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T09:20:39Z","timestamp":1784712039000},"page":"2539","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Preparation of Quercetin-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticle-Embedded Hydrogels and Stability Studies"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-1058-1318","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chatchapong","family":"Tangjidapichai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon Nayok 26120, Thailand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarin","family":"Tadtong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon Nayok 26120, Thailand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0696-9969","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chuda","family":"Chittasupho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9301-5038","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Weerasak","family":"Samee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon Nayok 26120, Thailand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.3892\/or.2016.5217","article-title":"Protective effects of quercetin on UVB irradiation-induced cytotoxicity through ROS clearance in keratinocyte cells","volume":"37","author":"Zhu","year":"2017","journal-title":"Oncol. 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