Clinical study finds Aquanova micellar delivery tech raises xanthohumol absorption

A randomized clinical trial with 12 healthy adults finds that Aquanova’s proprietary micellar technology, NovaSOL, increases the bioavailability of xanthohumol, a naturally occurring bioactive found primarily in hops. 

NovaSOL uses micellar technology to help fat-soluble compounds mix more easily into water. This gives product creators more flexibility when formulating supplements with ingredients that are normally hard for the body to absorb.

The single-blind, four-period crossover trial investigated how formulation and dose influence xanthohumol bioavailability over a 24-hour period. Researchers compared regular xanthohumol with xanthohumol formulated using NovaSOL at doses of 86 mg and 172 mg.

At the 172 mg dose, the NovaSOL formula delivered 3.2 times more xanthohumol into the bloodstream over 24 hours than standard xanthohumol. Peak levels were also roughly 9.5 times higher — reaching 2,379 nmol/L compared to 249 nmol/L for the regular form.

“These findings demonstrate why delivery technology matters when working with promising but poorly bioavailable compounds such as xanthohumol,” says Danny Hofeditz, director of Quality and Product Innovation at Aquanova.

“NovaSOL is designed to address the fundamental solubility and absorption challenges associated with lipophilic ingredients, and this study provides strong human evidence that a micellar formulation can substantially change how xanthohumol is absorbed.”

Overcoming bioavailability challenges

Published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, the results demonstrate that micellar xanthohumol produced significantly greater total systemic exposure (AUC), peak plasma concentrations (Cmax), and bioavailability than regular xanthohumol. Peak concentrations were also reached significantly faster with the micellar formulation, note the study authors.

 Xanthohumol is a prenylated chalcone, which is a specialized, plant-derived polyphenol with antioxidant properties. Because of its unique fat-loving structure, however, it repels water in the gut, making it difficult for the body to absorb. In the study, researchers noted that estimated absorption for regular xanthohumol was about 0.1%, compared to roughly 1.2% for the micellar NovaSOL version.

The company explains that NovaSOL addresses this absorption problem by using a bio-inspired delivery system. Instead of chemically altering the ingredient, Aquanova wraps fat-soluble compounds such as xanthohumol inside microscopic structures called micelles. These micelles help the compound mix with water, allowing the gut to absorb it more efficiently.

NovaSOL wraps fat-soluble compounds such as xanthohumol inside microscopic structures called micelles, allowing the gut to absorb them more effectively.According to Aquanova, the study offers clinical evidence of the effectiveness of this approach. Researchers conducted a single-blind, randomized, four-period crossover trial with 12 healthy men and women. Participants took each dose after a 12-hour overnight fast, with 14-day washout periods between treatments.

Each participant received four interventions as oral capsules with 200 mL of water: 86 mg micellar xanthohumol, 172 mg micellar xanthohumol, 86 mg native xanthohumol, and 172 mg native xanthohumol. To avoid any diet-based interference, participants followed a strict polyphenol-free diet before and during the study. 

Faster peak, lower dose

At the 86 mg dose, peak total xanthohumol concentration in the blood was reached at approximately 58 minutes with the NovaSOL micellar formulation, compared to 148 minutes with native xanthohumol.

Notably, 86 mg of NovaSOL xanthohumol produced approximately 1.5 times greater 24-hour plasma exposure than 172 mg of native xanthohumol, which researchers say highlights the impact of formulation on systemic exposure.

They did not observe any significant differences in xanthohumol pharmacokinetics between men and women.

Overall, the research team says its findings have significance for supplement and functional nutrition developers interested in xanthohumol but challenged by its inherently poor bioavailability.

“Ingredient selection is only one part of creating an effective nutritional product,” says Hofeditz. “If an active is poorly absorbed in its native state, delivery becomes a critical part of formulation strategy. These results demonstrate the potential of NovaSOL to help product developers unlock greater exposure from xanthohumol without altering the molecule itself.”

The researchers acknowledge that future studies, especially repeated-dose trials, are needed to identify the potential physiological effects associated with longer-term xanthohumol supplementation.

In other recent research around bioavailability, a review highlighted the effects of Probi’s probiotic strain L. plantarum 299v (LP299V) for iron absorption and iron status. It explored how LP299V may support iron bioavailability through different complementary mechanisms, from boosting iron solubility and uptake to potentially influencing factors involved in iron metabolism.