Centella asiatica transfersomes and Bergamot essential oil nanoemulsion combined in gel exhibited anti-photoaging effects on UVB-radiated BALB/c mice

Abstract

Photoaging of skin tissue can result from exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. This study developed two nanocarriers Centella asiatica (CA) transfersomes (TF) and Bergamot essential oil (BEO) nanoemulsions (NE) combined in a gel formulation as a drug delivery system, in order to study whether they could synergize to prevent UVB radiation and provide anti-photoaging effects. Nanoencapsulation of CA-TF and BEO-NE were examined for their quality by characterizing their physicochemical properties. An in vivo study evaluated topically applied CA-TF and BEO-NE combination gels biological effect on BALB/c mice before UVB radiation (840 mJ/cm2) for two weeks. Particle size analysis of developed nanocarriers exhibited monodispersed pattern with an average particle size and zeta potential of around 9.64 ± 0.35 nm and −39.86 ± 1.33 mV, respectively. In vivo experiments showed that topically applied CA-TF and BEO-NE combination gel significantly prevented UVB-induced wrinkle formation and skin erythema and inhibited histological damage, including epidermal hyperplasia, collagen fibers, and the destruction of elastic fibers. Additionally, the CA-TF and BEO-NE combination gel reduced UVB-induced oxidative stress by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and suppressed lipid peroxidation by decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA) expression as well as inhibiting the expression of UVB-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines include tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Moreover, the CA-TF and BEO-NE combination gel increased the type I collagen expression, restoring UVB-induced collagen production and density. Therefore, nanoencapsulation CA-TF and BEO-NE combination gel could synergistically prevent UVB-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.