One of the recent advancements in research is the application of natural products in developing newly effective formulations that have few drawbacks and that boost therapeutic effects. The goal of the current exploration is to investigate the effect of jojoba oil in augmenting the anti-inflammatory effect of Brucine natural alkaloid. This is first development of a formulation that applies Brucine and jojoba oil int a PEGylated liposomal emulgel proposed for topical application. Initially, various PEGylated Brucine liposomal formulations were fabricated using a thin-film hydration method. (22) Factorial design was assembled using two factors (egg Phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol concentrations) and three responses (particle size, encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release). The optimized formula was incorporated within jojoba oil emulgel. The PEGylated liposomal emulgel was inspected for its characteristics, in vitro, ex vivo and anti-inflammatory behaviors. Liposomal emulgel showed a pH of 6.63, a spreadability of 48.8 mm and a viscosity of 9310 cP. As much as 40.57% of Brucine was released after 6 h, and drug permeability exhibited a flux of 0.47 µg/cm2·h. Lastly, % of inflammation was lowered to 47.7, which was significant effect compared to other formulations. In conclusion, the anti-inflammatory influence of jojoba oil and Brucine was confirmed, supporting their integration into liposomal emulgel as a potential nanocarrier.
Keywords: Brucine; PEGylated liposomes; anti-inflammatory; emulgel; jojoba oil; transdermal drug delivery.