Abstract
This work analyzes the dispersion of a highly hydrophobic molecule, (9Z)-N-(1,3-dihydroxyoctadecan-2-yl)octadec-9-enamide (ceramide-like molecule), with cosmetic and pharmaceutical interest, by exploiting oil-in-water microemulsions. Two different oils, oleic acid and soybean oil, were tested as an oil phase while mixtures of laureth-5-carboxylic acid (Akypo) and 2-propanol were used for the stabilization of the dispersions. This allowed us to obtain stable aqueous-based formulations with a relatively reduced content of oily phase (around 3% w/w), that may enhance the bioavailability of this molecule by its solubilization in nanometric oil droplets (with a size range of 30–80 nm), that allow the incorporation of a ceramide-like molecule of up to 3% w/w, to remain stable for more than a year. The nanometric size of the droplet containing the active ingredient and the stability of the formulations provide the basis for evaluating the efficiency of microemulsions in preparing formulations to enhance the distribution and availability of ceramide-like molecules, helping to reach targets in cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations.
Highlights
Encapsulation is a widespread option for increasing the availability of poorly watersoluble molecules to facilitate their incorporation in products with a technological and commercial interest [1,2,3]
The goal of this work was the optimization of oil-in-water microemulsions (O/W) microemulsions to encapsulate a ceramide-like molecule and to obtain a stable formulation with relevance to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries
The first step towards a practical design of O/W microemulsions for enhancing the availability of poorly soluble molecules, such as ceramide-like molecules, is to find the compositional region which allows for obtaining stable dispersions with long term-stability
Summary
Encapsulation is a widespread option for increasing the availability of poorly watersoluble molecules to facilitate their incorporation in products with a technological and commercial interest [1,2,3]. The use of well-sketched encapsulation matrices can help in a controlled release of the active molecules [17,18] These previously mentioned aspects have stimulated intense research activity for exploiting the nanodroplets of oil-in-water microemulsions (O/W) as suitable platforms for encapsulation, facilitating distribution in an aqueous environment, delivering hydrophobic substances, e.g., vitamins, anticancer drugs, or pigments, among other types of molecules [19,20,21], and providing the bases for the fabrication of formulations for multiple interested industries, including biomedical, food, and cosmetics [22,23,24,25,26,27,28].
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