Abstract
Turmeric, the golden Indian spice, and the edible oil of sesame seeds are the essential ingredients of Indian food created by ancestors and established the belief of the curative effect of food for many generations. Considering the anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric, we formulated a nano-emulsion of turmeric infused in edible sesame oil, with a globule size of 200–250 nm using high-energy microfluidization. The product with a zeta potential of −11.5 mV showed spherical globules when imaged for scanning and transmission electron microscopy. We explored the anti-inflammatory potential of this edible nano-emulsion in lung inflammation. The lungs are the internal organ most vulnerable to infection, injury, and rapid inflammation from the external environment because of their constant exposure to pollutants, pathogenic microorganisms, and viruses. We evaluated the nano-emulsion for efficacy in ovalbumin-induced lung injury in mice with an oral treatment for two weeks. The therapeutic effect of nano-emulsion of the sesame oil-extract of turmeric was evident from biochemical analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, lung histopathology, and flow cytometric analysis. The developed nano-emulsion significantly reduced the inflammation and damage to the alveolar network in ovalbumin-injured mice. Significant reduction in the levels of neutrophils and inflammatory cytokines like IL-4, IL-6, and IL-13 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was observed in the nano-emulsion-treated group. Leukotriene B4 and IgE were also significantly altered in the treated group, thus suggesting the suitability of the formulation for the treatment of allergy and other inflammatory conditions. The nano-emulsification process potentiated the immunoregulatory effect of turmeric, as observed from the elevated levels of the natural anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10. The dietary constituents-based nano-emulsion of spice turmeric helped in scavenging the free radicals in the injured lungs, thus modulating the inflammation pathway. This easily scalable formulation technology approach can therefore serve as a potential noninvasive and safe treatment modality for reducing lung inflammation in lung injury cases.
Highlights
Lung inflammation, a complex biological process, occurs frequently in response to external airborne toxic stimuli and results in substantial cell injury [1]
Turmeric powder was homogenized with various edible oils like palm, sunflower, olive, coconut, and sesame to extract the principal constituent, curcuminoids (CUMs)
Curcuminoid extracts and nano-emulsion prepared from Curcuma longa inhibited the growth of lung cancer cells A549 and H460, proving the potential of curcumin nano-emulsion for lung delivery [24]
Summary
A complex biological process, occurs frequently in response to external airborne toxic stimuli and results in substantial cell injury [1]. Steroids are potent anti-inflammatory medicines commonly prescribed for the treatment of lung inflammation and are administered systemically for maximizing the therapeutic effect. Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs exert high mineralocorticoid effects, necessitating precautions during systemic therapy. From the knowledge of the impact of several dietary nutrients acting on multiple molecular targets, it is possible to design an anti-inflammatory formulation based on common dietary constituents that will offer a unique and traditional pharmacological approach in treating the complex chronic inflammatory lung degenerative diseases. Sesame oil is the common dietary constituent used in the Indian food system and has therapeutic potential as an antioxidant and neuroprotective. It is the most common vehicle used for oil-based medications in the Ayurvedic system of Medicine [8]. The novel nano-emulsion of sesame oil extract of turmeric constituents, made by high shear technology, is a safe and effective, bed-to-bench side approach for easy clinical translation and industrial scalability
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