Encapsulation of babchi essential oil into microsponges: Physicochemical properties, cytotoxic evaluation and anti-microbial activity

Abstract

Babchi essential oil (BEO) is a valuable essential oil reported to possess a variety of biological activities such as antitumor, anti inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antifungal and antibacterial properties. Due to its anti-microbial properties, this oil possesses an immense potential for the treatment of dermatological disorders. Further, it has minimal tendency to develop resistance, a common issue with most of the antibiotics. However, its highly viscous nature and poor stability in the presence of light, air and high temperature, limits its practical applications. To surmount these issues, this research aims to encapsulate BEO in ethyl cellulose (EC) microsponges for enhanced stability, antibacterial effect and decreased dermal toxicity. The quasi emulsion solvent evaporation technique was used for fabrication of the BEO microsponges employing EC as polymer, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as stabilizer and dichloro methane (DCM) as solvent. The effect of formulation variables such as the amount of EC and PVA were also investigated. The prepared microformulations were evaluated for production yield, encapsulation efficiency, particle size and in vitro release. In vitro cytotoxicity was also checked to assess dermal safety of BEO microsponges. Results revealed that all the dispersions were in micro size range (20.44 ± 3.13 μmto 41.75 ± 3.65 μm), with good encapsulation efficiency (87.70 ± 1.20% of F2) and controlled release profile (cumulative drug release 73.34 ± 1.76%). Field emission scanning electron microscopy results showed that the microsponges possessed a spherical uniform shape with a spongy structure. Results of cytotoxicity study indicated that the prepared microsponges were safer on dermal cells in comparison to pure BEO. The optimized formulation was also evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial assay against dermal bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli , which confirmed their enhanced antibacterial activity. Furthermore, the results of photostability and stability analysis indicated improved stability of BEO loaded microsponges. Hence, encapsulation of BEO in microsponges resulted in efficacious carrier system in terms of stability as well as safety of this essential oil along with handling benefits.

Antimicrobial Activity and Mechanism of Action of Dracocephalum moldavica L. Extracts Against Clinical Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus

“…The in vitro cytotoxicity of EtOAc fraction of D. moldavica L. ethanol extract was investigated using human epidermal keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell line as described previously by Wadhwa et al. (Wadhwa et al., 2019). HaCaT cells were cultivated in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) medium supplemented in 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA), streptomycin (100 μg/ml, Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA), and penicillin (100 IU/ml, AppliChem GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany) in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO 2 at 37°C.…”

Ozonated Oils as Antimicrobial Systems in Topical Applications. Their Characterization, Current Applications, and Advances in Improved Delivery Techniques

“…[112,113] Their features have been found to enhance the loading ability and stability of active components, and reduce local irritation, meaning that this technique is used in cosmetic and dermatological products. Essential oils with antibacterial activity [114,115] and drugs [116][117][118] have shown interesting results in topical delivery, when loaded into microsponges, over different wound infected models. Other potential topical applications are ocular use [119], and antifungal vaginal formulations [120].…”

Microencapsulation of Essential Oils by Spray-Drying and Influencing Factors

“…In terms of antiinflammatory activity, Wijayadi and Rusli [119] revealed that encapsulating lime EO into chitosan nanoparticles improved the inhibitory activity of the EO against Propionibacterium acnes with minimal side effects. Wadhwa et al [96] has formulated Babchi EO encapsulated in ethyl cellulose microsponges for dermatological treatment. e formulation effectively inhibited P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, and E. coli.…”