Microstructured systems containing Chamomilla recutita L. extract for dermocosmetic applications

Author(s)

Simone Vieira Pereira

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC)
• Defense date: 2015-04-24

Examining board members

Luis Alexandre Pedro de Freitas; Armando da Silva Cunha Junior; Gislaine Ribeiro Pereira

• Advisor: Luis Alexandre Pedro de Freitas

Abstract

Chamomilla recutita L. is one of the most cultivated medicinal plants in Brazil and around the world. Its extracts are important to both the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries due to its therapeutic applications, such as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and astringent. The therapeutic effects of an extract may be more pronounced than those of an isolated active compound. However, the incorporation of an extract in a formulation is difficult due to the low stability of extracts and the potential instabilities they may cause in formulations. Microencapsulating an extract in a carrier is a potential way of increasing the stability of an extract and avoiding instabilities in a formulation. Compound microencapsulation also brings other advantages, such as controlled release rates. Two processes were studied as alternatives to microencapsulating C. recutita essential oil and C. recutita hydroalcoholic extract using chitosan as a carrier: spray drying and spray freeze drying. Factorial designs were used to determine which process factors most influence the mean diameter, encapsulation efficiency and content of the chemical markers, and process yield. Apigenin and apigenin-7-glucoside were used as chemical markers for the hydroalcoholic extract and bisabolol oxide A was used as the chemical marker for the essential oil. The spray drying and spray freeze drying processes for both the oil and hydroalcoholic extract were optimized and the resulting microparticles were further characterized to determine mean diameter, process yield, marker encapsulation efficiency and content, in vitro antioxidant activity, density, Carr index, Hausner factor, water content, morphology, in vitro release profiles and stability. The results showed spray drying had the best encapsulation efficiency results, with about 98%, 95% e 80% of the apigenin, apigenin-7-glucoside and bisabolol oxide A content, respectively, inside the microparticles. The encapsulation efficiencies obtained in the spray freeze drying process were about 59%, 58% e 38% for the same chemical markers, respectively. Microparticles produced by spray freeze drying were irregular and porous, whereas microparticles produced by spray drying were spherical and fairly smooth, without porous or cracks. Contrary to what happened with the hydroalcoholic extract, oil marker content was low for spray dried microparticles, with final content at 35%. Chemical markers contents were above 80% for the oil and above 90% for the hydroalcoholic extract in spray freeze dried microparticles. Spray dried microparticles containing extract and oil and spray freeze dried microparticles containing extract and oil had mean diameter of 5.1 ?m, 5.0 ?m, 31.0 ?m and 96.4 ?m, respectively. In vitro release profiles showed all microparticles were able to sustain their respective marker release rates. In vitro permeation studies of spray dried microparticles containing hydroalcooholic extract also showed sustained release rates for the corresponding markers. Microencapsulation also provided considerable increase in C. recutita hydroalcoholic extract stability and C. recutita essential oil stability. After 90 days spray dried microparticles containing hydroalcoholic extract presented marker content 50% higher than the pure hydroalcoholic extract. Spray freeze drying was the best alternative to produce chitosan microparticles containing C. recutita essential oil, while spray drying was shown to be an excellent way to microencapsulate C. recutita hydroalcoholic extract in chitosan. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/04018-9 - Microstructured system containing Chamomilla recutita L. extract for dermocosmetic applications
• Grantee: Simone Vieira Pereira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate