The studied plant extract has demonstrated significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, anticancer and psycho and neuroactive properties. In cosmetics, it has shown an additional distinctive fragrance, a refreshing sensation and calming effects on the skin. Liposomes are phospholipid bilayer nanocarriers with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, enabling the encapsulation of water-soluble compounds in their aqueous core and fat-soluble compounds in their lipid membrane, making them ideal for incorporating plant extracts, whose bioactive compounds also often exhibit low stability. This study investigates the potential of the nano-encapsulation of a plant extract for enhanced topical delivery. The developed vesicles were produced using thin-film hydration, and lipid 1: lipid 2 ratios were optimized to obtain adequate particle characteristics (60:40, 75:25, 80:20). Particle size and polydispersity index (PDI) were determined by dynamic light scattering using a Zetasizer apparatus. For the determination of the encapsulation efficiency (EE%), a quantification method was developed using UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The results showed that liposomes without the extract exhibited a mean PDI of 0.164 - 0.176 and a particle size of 120.6 - 134.8 nm. After extract encapsulation (at 1, 2, 5 and 10 mg/mL), the mean PDI ranged from 0.180 to 0.434, with particle sizes between 106.5 and 136.3 nm. EE% for 80:20 liposomes ranged from 37 to 71% at 2, 5 and 10 mg/mL, yielding, respectively 1.3, 3.3 and 3.7 mg/mL of extract. The selected vesicles exhibited optimal characteristics with particle sizes below 200 nm and polydispersity index values below 0.200, which ensures stability and homogeneity of the vesicles, as well as effective skin retention, and EE% up to 70% demonstrated effective incorporation of the extract. This study presents a novel liposomal nano-encapsulation of aqueous plant extract, opening new avenues for its pharmacological and cosmetic utilization. Further studies will assess stability, release profiles and antioxidant activity.
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Development and characterization of novel plant-extract-loaded liposomes for dermopharmaceutical and cosmetic applications
Published:
19 September 2025
by MDPI
in The 5th International Online Conference on Nanomaterials
session Nanomedicine and Bionanotechnology
Abstract:
Keywords: Nanotechnology; plant-extract; liposomes; dermopharmaceutical; cosmetics
