Matricaria chamomilla L. Essential Oil: The Preparation and Characterization of the Self-microemulsion Drug Delivery System, and Repair Effect in Ulcerative Colitis.

PURPOSE: Ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment has emerged as a worldwide healthcare challenge. Despite its anti-inflammatory properties, there are few reports on the Matricaria chamomilla L. essential oil (MEO) for the repair of UC. This study aims to extract natural MEO, prepare the self-microemulsion drug delivery system (SMEDDS) to improve the solubility and stability of MEO, and investigate its repair effects on UC.

METHODS

The MEO was extracted using steam distillation. The MEO (oil phase) loaded SMEDDS (MEO-SM) was prepared with Octylphenol ethoxylate (OP-10, emulsifier) and PEG400 (co-emulsifier), while MEO-SM-SA was modified with sodium alginate (SA). Their characteristics were determined by droplet size (DS), encapsulation efficiency (EE), stability, in vitro release. The safety was evaluated using zebrafish. Additionally, the repair effects of SMEDDS on UC mice were assessed through disease activity index and histopathological analysis. The tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels in the colon of UC mice were tested by ELISA method.

RESULTS

The oil-in-water (O/W)-type of MEO-SM and MEO-SM-SA had small DS (28.16 ± 0.11 nm, 34.83 ± 0.27 nm), uniform dispersion, and high EE (91.09 ± 0.05%, 92.63 ± 0.17%). MEO-SM-SA was more stably stored at 25℃ for 30 days, and enhanced the release of MEO in the intestine. The SMEDDS demonstrated greatly repair effects compared to MEO alone. Specifically, MEO-SM-SA (150 mg/mL) exhibited inhibition of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β and MPO activity.

CONCLUSION

MEO-SM and MEO-SM-SA represent new approaches to enhance solubility, stability, intestinal release, and improve repair UC efficacy of MEO.