title: Faceted phospholipid vesicles tailored for the delivery of Santolina insularis essential oil to the skin.
abstract: The aim of this work was to formulate Santolina insularis essential oil-loaded nanocarriers, namely Penetration Enhancer containing Vesicles (PEVs), evaluate the physico-chemical features and stability, and gain insights into their ability to deliver the oil to the skin. S. insularis essential oil was obtained by steam distillation, and was predominantly composed of terpenes, the most abundant being β-phellandrene (22.6%), myrcene (11.4%) and curcumenes (12.1%). Vesicles were prepared using phosphatidylcholine, and ethylene or propylene glycol were added to the water phase (10% (v/v)) to improve vesicle performances as delivery systems. Vesicles were deeply characterized by light scattering, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and small/wide-angle X-ray scattering, the results showing polyhedral, faceted, unilamellar vesicles of ∼115 nm in size. The presence of the glycols improved vesicle stability under accelerated ageing conditions, without changes in size or migration phenomena (e.g. sedimentation and creaming). Confocal laser scanning microscopy images of pig skin treated with S. insularis formulations displayed a penetration ability of PEVs greater than that of control liposomes. Moreover, all formulations showed a marked in vitro biocompatibility in human keratinocytes. These findings suggest that the nanoformulation may be of value in enhancing the delivery of S. insularis essential oil to the skin, where it can exert its biological activities.
authors.affiliation: Department Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Drug Science Division, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Castangia
authors.affiliation: Department Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Drug Science Division, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Letizia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Manca
authors.affiliation: Department Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Drug Science Division, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: caddeoc@unica.it.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caddeo
authors.affiliation: Department Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Botany and Botanical Garden Division, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maxia
authors.affiliation: Department Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, CNBS and CSGI, University of Cagliari, Monserrato (CA), Italy.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murgia
authors.affiliation: Department Tecnologia Química i de Tensioactius, Institut de Química Avançada de Catalunya (IQAC-CSIC) 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pons
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Center for Electron Microscopy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 12, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Demurtas
authors.affiliation: Department Ingeniería Química y Tecnología del Medio Ambiente, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pando
authors.affiliation: Department Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Botany and Botanical Garden Division, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Falconieri
authors.affiliation: Department Farmacia y Tecnologia Farmaceutica, University of Valencia, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: José E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Peris
authors.affiliation: Department Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Drug Science Division, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fadda
authors.affiliation: Department Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Drug Science Division, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manconi
mesh_terms: D019659:Asteraceae / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010743:Phospholipids
keywords: Ethylene/propylene glycol; Human keratinocytes; Phospholipid vesicles; Pig skin; Santolina insularis essential oil; Terpenes