Abstract
Essential oils are complex mixtures of strongly active compounds, very volatile and sensitive to light, oxygen, moisture and temperature. Loading inside nanocarriers can be a strategy to increase their stability and successfully use them in therapy. In the present study, a commercial Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) essential oil (MEO) was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, loaded inside glycerosomes (MEO-GS) and evaluated for its anti-herpetic activity against HSV type 1. MEO-GS analyses were prepared by the thin layer evaporation method and they were characterized by light scattering techniques, determining average diameter, polydispersity index and ζ-potential. By transmission electron microscopy, MEO-GS appeared as small nano-sized vesicles with a spherical shape. MEO encapsulation efficiency inside glycerosomes, in terms of citral and β-caryophyllene, was found to be ca. 63% and 76% respectively, and MEO release from glycerosomes, performed by dialysis bag method, resulted in less than 10% within 24h. In addition, MEO-GS had high chemical and physical stability during 4 months of storage. Finally, MEO-GS were very active in inhibiting HSV type 1 infection of mammalian cells in vitro, without producing cytotoxic effects. Thus, MEO-GS could be a promising tool in order to provide a suitable anti-herpetic formulation.
Highlights
Herpes labialis is the most frequent clinical manifestation of reactivated herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infections
The present study focused on Melissa officinalis essential oil (MEO) loaded in glycerosomes, a special kind of vesicles obtained by adding a high concentration of glycerol (10–30% v/v)
A commercial MEO from Chiron Kentauros was analyzed by GC-MS, in order to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative composition (Table 1)
Summary
Herpes labialis is the most frequent clinical manifestation of reactivated herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infections. About 80 percent of the global population carries HSV-1. HSV can reactivate causing frequent infections in some patients. Since 1970, several efficient antiviral drugs have been developed, and in particular, acyclovir, the most commonly used drug in HSV treatment, is able to inhibit the viral DNA polymerase when new viral DNA is synthesized during the replication cycle. Antiviral therapy by acyclovir and other related nucleoside analogs has allowed continual and substantial progress in the treatment of both primary and recurrent infections, some limitations of these drugs have been reported in recent years, mainly represented by viral resistance and long-term toxicity [1]. New antiviral agents are urgently needed to obtain effective antiviral therapies
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