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Research Paper

Neem oil nanoemulsions: characterisation and antioxidant activity

, , , , , , , , , & show all
Pages 1265-1273 | Received 27 Jul 2017, Accepted 07 Sep 2017, Published online: 02 Oct 2017
 

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to develop nanoemulsions (NEs), nanosized emulsions, manufactured for improving the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients. In particular, nanoemulsions composed of Neem seed oil, contain rich bioactive components, and Tween 20 as nonionic surfactant were prepared. A mean droplet size ranging from 10 to 100 nm was obtained by modulating the oil/surfactant ratio. Physicochemical characterisation was carried out evaluating size, ζ-potential, microviscosity, polarity and turbidity of the external shell and morphology, along with stability in simulated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), activity of Neem oil alone and in NEs, HEp-2 cell interaction and cytotoxicity studies. This study confirms the formation of NEs by Tween 20 and Neem oil at different weight ratios with small and homogenous dimensions. The antioxidant activity of Neem oil alone and in NEs was comparable, whereas its cytotoxicity was strongly reduced when loaded in NEs after interaction with HEp-2 cells.

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Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Funding

EDF thanks BIOMETRA Dept., University of Milan, for financial support (Piano sostegno ricerca – Linea B 2016).