Eugenol nanocapsule for enhanced therapeutic activity against periodontal infections

Abstract

Eugenol is a godsend to dental care due to its analgesic, local anesthetic, and anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. The aim of the present research work was to prepare, characterize and evaluate eugenol-loaded nanocapsules (NCs) against periodontal infections. Eugenol-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) NCs were prepared by solvent displacement method. The nanometric size of the prepared NCs was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The in vitro drug release was found to follow a biphasic pattern and followed Michaelis–Menten like model. The percentage cell viability values near to 100 in the cell viability assay indicated that the NCs are not cytotoxic. In the in vivo studies, the eugenol NC group displayed significant difference in the continuity of epithelium of the interdental papilla in comparison to the untreated, pure eugenol and placebo groups. The in vivo performance of the eugenol-loaded NCs using ligature-induced periodontitis model in rats indicated that eugenol-loaded NCs could prevent septal bone resorption in periodontitis. On the basis of our research findings it could be concluded that eugenol-loaded PCL NCs could serve as a novel colloidal drug delivery system for enhanced therapeutic activity of eugenol in the treatment of periodontal infections.

• Cell viability assay
• nanoencapsulation
• polycaprolactone
• solvent displacement method

Acknowledgements

The authors duly acknowledge Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility (SAIF, DST), AIIMS, New Delhi, India, for providing facility to carry out TEM studies. The authors also express their sincere gratitude to Smita Research labs, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi, India for providing facility to carry out SEM and AFM studies.

Declaration of interest

The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest.

Pramod K. gratefully acknowledges Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, India, for providing Senior Research Fellowship (No. 35/3/10/NAN/BMS).

Supplementary material available online

Supplementary Tables S1-S5 and Figures S1-S4.