Pajnik, J., Manrique, S.R.V., Dikic, J., Radovanovic, Z., Minceva, M. Supercritical CO2-processed cellulose aerogels as sustainable carriers for cannabidiol (CBD). The Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 2026, 238, 107086. doi.org/10.1016/j.supflu.2026.107086

Abstract

Growing antibacterial resistance, along with reduced efficacy of conventional antibiotics against bacteria in acidic gastric environments, such as Helicobacter pylori, has driven interest in plant-derived bioactive compounds. Cannabidiol (CBD) has attracted attention for its antibacterial activity. However, its poor aqueous solubility and challenges associated with achieving gradual release under gastric conditions limit its therapeutic applicability. In this study, supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂) was investigated as a green processing route for the fabrication of cellulose-based aerogels and their impregnation with CBD, to develop a biodegradable carrier for the gradual release of CBD. Cellulose aerogels were produced via scCO₂-assisted drying, yielding material with a specific surface area of 343 m² g⁻¹ . Static scCO₂ impregnation (SCI) (300 bar, 40 °C) was used to impregnate the dried aerogels with pure CBD and a CBD/hemp-seed mixture, where hemp seeds served as a lipid source intended to improve CBD solubility in scCO₂. However, after 4 h of SCI, the CBD loadings obtained with the CBD/hemp-seed mixture were approximately 30 % lower ((73.4 ± 10.2) mg g⁻¹ ) than the loadings achieved with pure CBD. Release studies in simulated gastric fluid (pH 4) demonstrated that aerogels impregnated with pure CBD achieved a release of approximately 80 % of the loaded CBD within 4 h. CBD-impregnated aerogels exhibited dose-dependent antibacterial activity against Helicobacter pylori, achieving up to 52.5 % bacterial reduction after 4 h under acidic conditions (PBS, pH 4), highlighting the potential of scCO₂-processed cellulose aerogels as sustainable carriers for bioactive compounds.

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