DESIGN OF TEA TREE OIL-LOADED NANOSTRUCTURED LIPID CARRIERS: PREPARATION AND IN VITRO ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

Tea tree oil (TTO) is a promising essential oil that has enormous potential for antifungal development. However, its pharmacological applications have several limitations, including volatility and an extensive range of partition coefficients. To overcome these, TTO can be loaded into a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC). The combination of solid and liquid lipids and production conditions affect the characteristics of the NLC formed. This study aimed to design TTO-loaded NLCs with appropriate particle sizes to improve the therapeutic efficacy of TTO as an antifungal agent. The novelty of this research is the discovery of a stable and potential TTO loaded NLC formula as a topical antifungal agent. TTO-loaded NLCs were prepared using the high-shear homogenization method with formulas consisting of TTO, solid lipids, liquid lipids, surfactants, and distilled water. Then, they were characterized with particular attention to average particle size, polydispersity, zeta potential, pH, and viscosity. Further tests included physical stability for one month at room temperature (27±2 °C) and in vitro antifungal activity using the well diffusion method. TTO-loaded NLCs combining stearic acid, glyceryl monostearate, and cetyl alcohol (solid lipids) with Miglyol 812 and olive oil (liquid lipids) showed relatively small average particle sizes and low polydispersity index values. Also, the stirring speed did not affect the particle size. It was found that TTO exhibited in vitro antifungal activities as good as ketoconazole cream. This study has successfully combined various solid and liquid lipids to formulate TTO-loaded NLCs with favorable stability for one-month storage and great antifungal potential.