Phytochemical Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Origanum vulgare L. Essential Oil Formulated as Polymeric Micelles Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract

This study presents phytochemical characterization and biological evaluation of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OEO) formulated as polymeric micelles drug delivery systems as a possible non-invasive approach for the management of skin tags. GC-MS analysis of Romanian OEO revealed the identification and quantification of 43 volatile compounds (thymol and carvacrol being the main ones). The antioxidant activity was shown by four consecrated methods: CUPRAC, ABTS, ORAC and DPPH. OEO was incorporated by micellar solubilization into a binary hydrogel based on a Pluronic F 127/L 31 block-copolymers mixture. The pH, consistency, spreadability, particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential of the OEO-loaded poloxamer-based binary hydrogel (OEO-PbH) were investigated. OEO-PbH was skin compatible in terms of pH and exhibited adequate spreadability and consistency. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of the tested OEO were similar to those obtained for the formulation, lower (2.5 µg/mL) for yeast and higher (40–80 µg/mL) for Gram-negative bacilli. As keratinocytes are among main components of skin tags, an in vitro evaluation was conducted in order to see the effect of the formulation against HaCaT human keratinocytes. OEO-PbH decreased HaCaT cells migration and proliferation and elicited a cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effect in a dose- and time-dependent manner. No harmful effect on the viability of dendritic cells (DCs) was detected following the incubation with different concentrations (0–200 µg/mL) of the 5% formulation. Treatment in inflammatory DCs (+LPS) indicated a decrease in cytokine production of IL-6, TNF-α and IL-23 but no significant effect on IL-10 in any of the tested concentrations.

Anti-Candida and Antibiofilm Activity of Selected Lamiaceae Essential Oils

“…It has been well established, that the chemical composition of essential oils is influenced by environmental factors, geographical regions of plant growth, harvesting time, the stage of plant development [30]. Popular extraction methods used to isolate essential oils, include conventional hydrodistillation (HD) [31][32][33], and vacuum distillation [34]. These methods of distillation are described in the European Pharmacopoeia.…”

Advancements in application of chitosan and cyclodextrins in biomedicine and pharmaceutics: recent progress and future trends

“…It is oen used in research as the basis for various medical conventions and drug-delivery devices. [246][247][248][249][250][251][252]…”

A Review on Reinforcements and Additives in Starch-Based Composites for Food Packaging

“…Carvacrol (Figure 17), a phenol, is the primary component of oregano and thyme essential oils, with a range of 5 to 50% for thyme [295] and between 18-71% in the case of oregano [300,301]. These variances can be due to the different extraction techniques and the parts of the plant that were utilized to extract the molecules.…”