Bio‐Guided Oral Microencapsulation of Curcuma wenyujin Essential Oils via Complex Coacervation: Structural Preservation and Preliminary Evidence of Intestinal Distribution

ABSTRACT

This study developed a chitosan‐sodium alginate complex coacervation microencapsulation system to stabilize and orally deliver Curcuma wenyujin essential oil (WYJY). Chemical profiling via GC–MS and MCR‐ALS deconvolution revealed that both steam distillation (SD) and supercritical CO ₂ extraction (SCE) effectively yielded bioactive sesquiterpenoids, with SCE uniquely co‐extracting non‐volatile endogenous lipids and sterols. Network pharmacology combined with in vitro assays in HK‐2 cells validated that these major sesquiterpenoids possess robust anti‐inflammatory bioactivities by significantly suppressing IL‐6 and TNF‐α expressions. Based on this biological relevance and the instability of WYJY, the multi‐component essential oil was directly utilized as a unified core to fabricate regular core‐shell microcapsules. Multidimensional spectroscopic and thermal analyses (TG/DTG/DSC) verified that sequestration within the dense polymer matrix drastically enhanced the thermal stability of the volatile core. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo evaluations demonstrated that this system exhibited good biocompatibility and an enteric release profile. HS‐SPME‐GC–MS tracking in rats at 1 h after oral administration detected characteristic WYJY terpenoid markers in rinsed intestinal tissues and serum, suggesting intestinal distribution and possible systemic exposure. Overall, this work provides a practical strategy for the chemical preservation, structural stabilization, and intestinal delivery of sensitive essential oils from medicinal plants.