The effects of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil on analgesic effects and percutaneous absorption of naproxen sodium gel; an in vivo and in vitro study.

The percutaneous bioavailability of naproxen is low and several technologies have been utilized to overcome the problem. Although, some studies have reported the permeation-enhancing properties of natural essential oils, no research has reflected the effectiveness of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil (LAEO) on increasing the percutaneous absorption of naproxen sodium from a topical gel. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate whether LAEO increased the percutaneous absorption and the analgesic effects of naproxen sodium topical gel. In the present study, naproxen topical gel was formulated using carbopol 940 (a gelling agent) and several vehicles such as PEG 400, ethanol, and water and the properties of gels were measured. Percutaneous absorption-enhancing properties of LAEO were measured too. Based on our data, the essential oil-containing formulation of naproxen represented greater penetration into (222.19 ± 24.87 vs. 107.65 ± 6.38 µg/cm2 ), and also across (22.07 ± 4.42 vs. 13.14 ± 2.87 µg/cm2 ) skin layers compared to the naproxen gel. Additionally, a significant analgesic property was observed in the naproxen topical gel containing 0.5% essential oil during both first and late phases of formalin test, as well as the late phase of tail-flick test. It could be concluded that LAEO significantly enhanced naproxen percutaneous absorption and also its analgesic effects.

In Vitro Evaluation of Lavandula angustifolia Essential Oil on Anti-Toxoplasma Activity.

The current methods of treating toxoplasmosis have a number of side effects, and these therapies are only effective against the acute stage of the disease. Thus, development of new low toxicity and efficient anti-Toxoplasma drugs is extremely important. Natural products are important sources for screening new drugs; among them, essential oils (EOs) have efficacy in anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-insect, and other aspects. In this study, 16 EOs were screened for their anti-T. gondii activity. Lavandula angustifolia essential oil (La EO)was found to have an anti-parasitic effect on T. gondii. The cytotoxicity of La EO was firstly evaluated using the MTT assay on human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells, and then the anti-T. gondii activity was evaluated by plaque assay. Finally, the invasion experiment and electron microscope observation were used to study the mechanism of La EO in anti-toxoplasma activity. The results indicated that the CC50 of La EO was 4.48 mg/ml and that La EO had activity against T. gondii and the inhibition was in a dose-dependent manner under safe concentrations. La EO was able to reduce T. gondii invasion, which may be due to its detrimental effect on changes of the morphology of tachyzoites. These findings indicated that La EO could be a potential drug for treating toxoplasmosis.

Enhanced Biological Activity of a Novel Preparation of Lavandula angustifolia Essential Oil.

Lavandula angustifolia, one of the most popular medicinal plants, is the source of a bioactive essential oil characterized by a wide spectrum of biological activity, e.g., antiseptic, analgesic, and anticancer effects. In dermatology, the oil helps to relieve skin inflammation and exhibit wound healing potential. However, the mechanism of action of the lavender oil depends on its composition, which in turn is dependent on the origin and growing conditions. Our study aimed to compare the composition and proregenerative properties of the commercially-available narrow-leaved lavender oil produced in Provence, France, with the oil obtained from the narrow-leaved lavender cultivated locally in Poland. GC/MS analysis showed that self-manufactured essential oil had lower linalool content than commercial oil (23.2 vs. 40.2%), comparable linalyl acetate content (40.6 vs. 44%), while the proportion of lavandulyl acetate was significantly higher (23.2 vs. 5.5%). To determine the influence of lavender oil on the production of proinflammatory cytokines and proregenerative growth factors, gene expression of the selected signaling molecules by HaCaT cells was investigated using real-time PCR. Results showed a concentration-dependent effect of lavender oils on the production of IL-6, IL-8, and VEGF by the keratinocyte cell line. Finally, the potential of the lavender oil to increase the production of VEGF, the most important angiogenic factor, with the in-house preparation performing significantly better in the in vitro cell models was identified.

Synergistic effects of amorphous OSA-modified starch, unsaturated lipid-carrier, and sonocavitation treatment in fabricating of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil nanoparticles.

This investigation aims to evaluate the synergistic effects of amorphous OSA-modified starch, unsaturated lipid-carrier (RBD-SFO), and high-energy microfluidization in synergy with the ultrasonic techniques in fabricating of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil (LAF-EO) nanoparticle. GC-MS and SEM techniques were employed to investigate the LAF-EO isolation method used. DLS analysis was employed along with CLSM and TEM techniques to investigate the physicochemical properties of nanoemulsion formulation (NE) matrices. The NE achieved the optimal spherical and size distributions of droplets (125.7 nm), Poly Dispersity Index (PdI) (0.183), and ζ-potential (-40.3 mV) when the contents of the formulation matrix were as follows: OSA-MS (2%), LAF-EO (1%), RBD-SFO (1%), and Tween-80 (1%). The findings of this work provide a new concept about the synergistic effects of amorphous OSA-modified starch and unsaturated lipid carrier as safe-grade macromolecules in the fabricating of LAF-EO nanoparticles. Besides, the application of the ultrasound cavitation phenomenon has been shown to have effective effect in reducing the droplet hydrodynamic diameter along with enhancing the distribution (PdI) and electrokinetic potential of the LAF-EO nanoparticles.