## 3 Results and Discussion
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Samples**} & **Volume** & **Size** & **Number** & **PDI** & **ZP** & **E.E. (\%)** & **L.C. (\%)** \\  & **(d-nm)** & **(d-nm)** & **(d-nm)** & **PDI** & **(mV)** & **E.E. (\%)** & **L.C. (\%)** \\ \hline CG & 7.0 \(\pm\) 2.64 & - & - & - & \(-\)2.98 \(\pm\) 0.91 & - & - \\ CGNPs+50 & 645.9 \(\pm\) 69.7 & 562.96 \(\pm\) 32.26 a & 506.73 \(\pm\) 40.59 a & 0.14 \(\pm\) 0.07 a & \(-\)25.8 \(\pm\) 0.81 a & 99.93 \(\pm\) 0.104 a & 32.92 \(\pm\) 0.365 \\ CGNPs+25 & 624.4 \(\pm\) 44.88 & 535.00 \(\pm\) 28.12 a & 459.37 \(\pm\) 29.37 a & 0.18 \(\pm\) 0.04 a & \(-\)23.9 \(\pm\) 0.78 a & 100.00 \(\pm\) 0.742 a & 19.76 \(\pm\) 0.080 \\ CGNPs+10 & 448.4 \(\pm\) 39.19 & 370.97 \(\pm\) 55.80 b & 315.70 \(\pm\) 79.83 b & 0.16 \(\pm\) 0.02 a & \(-\)24.6 \(\pm\) 1.31 a & 100.00 \(\pm\) 0.379 a & 8.91 \(\pm\) 0.089 \\ \hline \end{tabular} a, b: significant difference comparing groups with different concentrations (\(p<\) 0.05). CG = cashew gum; GCNPs+50 = cashew gum particle with 50% of a-Tocopherol; GCNPs+25 = cashew gum particle with 25% of a-Tocopherol; GCNPs+10 = cashew gum particle with 10% of \(\alpha\)-Tocopherol; PDI = polydispersity; ZP = Zeta Potential; E.E. = Encapsulation Efficiency; L.C. = Loading Capacity.  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Analysis of the size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and loading capacity of cashew gum particles with different concentrations (50%, 25% and 10%) of \(\alpha\)-Tocopherol. Figure 3: Physicochemical stability of CG particles with different concentrations of \(\alpha\)-tocopherol in 30 days: **(A)** Size, **(B)** Number, **(C)** PDI and **(D)** ZP. Data represent mean \(\pm\) standard deviation of n = 3; Where: CGNPs+50 = cashew gum nanoparticle with 50% of \(\alpha\)-Tocopherol; CGNPs+25 = cashew gum nanoparticle with 25% of \(\alpha\)-Tocopherol; CGNPs+10 = cashew gum nanoparticle with 10% of \(\alpha\)-Tocopherol; PDI = polydispersity; ZP = Zeta Potential. The biggest particles had 50% (\(w/w\)) of \(\alpha\)-Toc and an average size of 645.9 \(\pm\) 69.70 nm, whereas the smallest sized particles were recorded at 315.70 \(\pm\) 79.83 nm for the lowest \(\alpha\)-Toc concentration, 10% (\(w/w\)). With 25% (\(w/w\)) of \(\alpha\)-Toc, the particle size was around 535.00 \(\pm\) 28.12 nm, but when analyzed by number, it is possible to identify a dominant population around 459.37 \(\pm\) 29.37 nm. The mean particle size is indeed very much governed by the oil content and production procedure and does not compromise the oral administration route. More important than the mean particle size is the polydispersity (PDI), as it translates the long-term stability of the dispersions if lower than <0.2, a value that characterizes the dispersions as monodispersed [41]. Nanoprecipitation technique is a widely known technique commonly used in the production of both nanospheres (to load hydrophobic/hydrophilic drugs) and nanocapsules (to load mineral oils), including \(\alpha\)-Tocopherol [23]. This was the technique we used to prepared our particles, in which the cashew gum was solubilized in the aqueous phase and the \(\alpha\)-Tocopherol in the organic phase. As [PERSON] et al. suggest [40], the organic phase was injected in the aqueous phase, generating supersaturation, nucleation, growth and coagulation. According to [PERSON] et al. [42], the cashew gum worked as a surfactant, where the hydrocarbon chains of \(\alpha\)-Tocopherol interact with the hydrophobic region of the cashew gum, which makes it surrounding the oil, protecting it. This is possible to observe with the negative zeta potential of the particles, the same charge of cashew gum, and with better stability once the value decreases to approximately \(-\)24 mV. The particle' surface charge was recorded as the measure of the zeta potential (ZP), an important parameter for the characterization of the drug delivery system, once it can determine the interaction of the particles with the cells and the physical stability of the dispersion [39].