Nanoencapsulation of Licorice Extract as a Skin Anti-Inflammatory

Abstract

Chronic inflammatory diseases such as lupus are commonly managed using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids; however, these medications often cause multiple adverse effects, including skin dryness, itching, abnormal discoloration, gastrointestinal discomfort, loss of appetite, and blurred vision. In recent years, researchers have sought alternative therapeutic strategies with fewer side effects by combining traditional and modern medicine. Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) extract, owing to its strong anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic activities as well as its low toxicity, has shown promise as a natural therapeutic agent for managing inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. In the present study, nanotechnology was employed to encapsulate licorice extract in order to improve its stability and therapeutic efficiency. The extract was prepared by maceration and concentrated, followed by niosomal encapsulation using the thin-film hydration method. The morphology and stability of the synthesized noisome were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and a Zeta sizer. The encapsulation efficiency, determined from the supernatant after centrifugation, was found to be 98.64%, indicating high loading capacity. The resulting formulation exhibited satisfactory stability after one month of storage. Overall, the thin-film hydration method proved to be an efficient approach for the encapsulation of herbal extracts, and niosomal carriers, due to their structural similarity to biological membranes, demonstrate great potential for targeted and sustained delivery of licorice extract as a skin anti-inflammatory agent.