No abstract

It could be concluded that TEM is a promising method for detection of low-level crystallinity of solid nanocarriers.

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) have gained high interest as enhancing drug delivery systems via topical application during the last few years. NLC can enhance stability of many active substances against environmental stress. The extremely small size of NLC plays an important role in skin penetration. The unchanged size of NLC upon storage indicates its physical stability. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of surfactant type on physical properties and stability of lycopene-loaded NLC. The preparation of the NLC was achieved by means of high pressure homogenization. The results indicate that different types of surfactant yield NLC with different properties. We also explored the effect of contact angle on the size of the NLC. It was found that the small contact angle gave NLC with small size. Among two small contact angle surfactants, Plantacare 1200 gave lycopene-loaded NLC with smaller size, higher zeta potential and narrower size distribution. The particle size, size distribution, and zeta potential of lycopene-loaded NLC prepared with Plantacare 1200 was unchanged during 30 days of storage. It was concluded that Plantacare 1200 is the most suitable surfactant for lycopene-loaded NLC. The chemical stability of lycopene entrapped in the NLC was significantly enhanced.

Synthetic drugs used to treat hair loss cause many side-effects. Natural tea seed oil possesses many activities that can suppress hair loss. However, it is oily and sticky in direct application. In this study, tea seed oil loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) using Tween 80 (NLC-T), Varisoft 442 (NLC-V), and a combination of both surfactants (NLC-C) was developed. The obtained nanoformulations showed spherical particles in the size range 130–430 nm. Particle size and size distribution of NLC-C and NLC-T after storage at 4, 25, and 40 °C for 90 days were unchanged, indicating their excellent stability. The pH of NLC-T, NLC-V, and NLC-C throughout 90 days remained at 3, 4, and 3.7, respectively. NLC-C showed significantly greater nontoxicity and growth-stimulating effect on human follicle dermal papilla (HFDP) cells than the intact oil. NLC-T and NLC-V could not stimulate cell growth and showed high cytotoxicity. NLC-C showed melting point at 52 ± 0.02 °C and its entrapment efficiency was 96.26 ± 2.26%. The prepared hair serum containing NLC-C showed better spreading throughout the formulation than that containing the intact oil. Using 5% NLC-C showed a 78.8% reduction in firmness of the hair serum while enhancing diffusion efficiency by reducing shear forces up to 81.4%. In conclusion, the developed NLC-C of tea seed oil is an effective alternative in stimulating hair growth. Hair serum containing NLC-C obviously reduces sticky, oily, and greasy feeling after use.