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The aim of this study was to formulate a new delivery system for ecological pesticides by the incorporation of Artemisia arborescens L essential oil into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN). Two different SLN formulations were prepared following the high-pressure homogenization technique using Compritol 888 ATO as lipid and Poloxamer 188 or Miranol Ultra C32 as surfactants. The SLN formulation particle size was determined using Photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and laser diffraction analysis (LD). The change of particle charge was studied by zeta potential (ZP) measurements, while the melting and recrystallization behavior was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In vitro release studies of the essential oil were performed at 35°C. Data showed a high physical stability for both formulations at various storage temperatures during 2 months of investigation. In particular, average diameter of Artemisia arborescens L essential oil-loaded SLN did not vary during storage and increased slightly after spraying the SLN dispersions. In vitro release experiments showed that SLN were able to reduce the rapid evaporation of essential oil if compared with the reference emulsions. Therefore, obtained results showed that the studied SLN formulations are suitable carriers in agriculture.

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Over the last decade, there have been significant developments concerning liposomal brain delivery systems conjugated with selected ligands with high specificity and low immunogenicity. An universally useful liposomal formulation for brain targeting does not exist but liposome design must be modulated by the appropriate choice of the specific homing device and transport mechanism.

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Azadirachtoids were determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) in five methanolic seed extracts of the neem tree and in a commercial formulation. On average, seed extracts contain azadirachtin A (10.9%), azadirachtin B (3.5%), nimbin (10.4%), and large quantities of salannin (19.0%). The composition of the commercial formulations may present different azadirachtoids contents depending on the natural extracts used in the preparation. Because these compounds may also show insecticide activity, the efficacy on field of these formulations may be very different. Photodegradation of pure azadirachtoids was also studied. Azadirachtins and related compounds are very sensitive to sunlight, degrading rapidly, with half-lives of the order of 11.3 h for azadirachtin A and 5.5 h for azadirachtin B and few minutes for the other limonoids compounds studied. The residues of azadirachtins and the main constituents, e.g., salannin, nimbin, deacetylnimbin, and deacetylsalannin, of the neem seed extract were determined on strawberries after field treatment using two different formulations. This residue study on strawberry was carried out to assess not only the azadirachtin content but also the main azadirachtoids contents. Three days after field application at five times the dose recommended by the manufacturer, residues of azadirachtin A and B were 0.03 and 0.01 mg/kg, respectively, while residues of salannin (LOQ 0.01 mg/kg) and nimbin (LOQ 0.5 mg/kg) were not detectable.