Developing liposomal and ethosomal formulations with potent antioxidant and cytotoxic effects: unleashing the power of Achillea millefolium L

TL;DR

This study develops liposomal and ethosome formulations of Achillea millefolium extract, showing strong antioxidant and cancer cell-killing effects.

Contribution

The study introduces novel liposomal and ethosome formulations of A. millefolium extract with enhanced bioactivity.

Findings

The 99.9% ethanol extract showed strong antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 0.044 mg/mL.

Cytotoxic effects were observed in cancer cell lines with IC50 values between 44.09 and 91.46 μg/mL.

Encapsulation in liposomes and ethosomes improved the efficacy and delivery of the extract.

Abstract

Achillea millefolium L., a plant rich in phenolics and flavonoids, has been shown to possess strong antioxidant and cytotoxic properties. However, no pharmaceutical formulations have yet been developed for this plant. This study aimed to create and characterize an A. millefolium extract with high antioxidant and cytotoxic activities.

A total of 10 extracts were prepared from the plant’s aerial parts using ethanol concentrations ranging from 10% to 99.9%. The DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) radical scavenging tests were used to assess the antioxidant properties of the extracts. Cytotoxic effects were assessed using the MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) method on human colon cancer, cervical cancer, and breast cancer cell lines. The most active extract was further analyzed for its phenolic composition using high-performance liquid chromatography. This extract was then encapsulated in liposomes and ethosomes, known as nanocarrier systems, to enhance and prolong its efficacy.

The 99.9% ethanol extract exhibited strong DPPH scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 0.044 mg/mL and cytotoxic IC50 values ranging from 44.09 to 91.46 μg/mL across different cell lines.

This study shows that absolute ethanol is a highly effective solvent for obtaining bioactive extracts from A. millefolium. Determining this is an important step in obtaining standardized extracts. In addition, the formulation studies conducted in this work confirm that the use of ethosomes and liposomes as nanocarriers for the formulation and delivery of this extract is a promising strategy.

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