Lipid-Based Nanostructures for the Delivery of Natural Antimicrobials

Abstract

Encapsulation can be a suitable strategy to protect natural antimicrobial substances against some harsh conditions of processing and storage and to provide efficient formulations for antimicrobial delivery. Lipid-based nanostructures, including liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), and nanostructured lipid nanocarriers (NLCs), are valuable systems for the delivery and controlled release of natural antimicrobial substances. These nanostructures have been used as carriers for bacteriocins and other antimicrobial peptides, antimicrobial enzymes, essential oils, and antimicrobial phytochemicals. Most studies are conducted with liposomes, although the potential of SLNs and NLCs as antimicrobial nanocarriers is not yet fully established. Some studies reveal that lipid-based formulations can be used for co-encapsulation of natural antimicrobials, improving their potential to control microbial pathogens.

Trends in Nanotechnology and Its Potentialities to Control Plant Pathogenic Fungi: A Review

“…The production of essential oils in plants is mainly for defense purposes against pathogenic microorganisms [ 112 ]. Essential oils have many benefits such as quick decomposition and with broad antifungal spectrum compared to conventional fungicides, low toxicity, and bioaccumulation.…”

The Emerging Role of Ionic Liquid-Based Approaches for Enhanced Skin Permeation of Bioactive Molecules: A Snapshot of the Past Couple of Years

“…This study revealed that all tested NCs were efficient for photoprotection of the phytopharmaceutical, with NLCs offering the best pharmacological performance, provided the matrix fluidity was tuned for optimized skin occlusion and drug release rate [ 80 ]. In line with this, multiple benefits of SLNs/NLCs-mediated delivery of natural and synthetic antimicrobials have been advocated in the recent literature [ 81 , 82 , 83 ], including for fighting multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections [ 84 , 85 ]. Thus, a new “nanoantibiotic era” is on the rise [ 86 ] that will likely have great impact on the management of complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSTI), given the unique ability of lipid-based NCs to overcome the skin barrier [ 87 ].…”

Biocompatibility and Antimicrobial Activity of Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Topical Applications Are Affected by Type of Oils Used in Their Composition

“…The antimicrobial effects of lipid-based particles such as liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles and, recently, NLCs have been reported [21]. Cutaneous colonization models demonstrated that Staphylococcus aureus, part of the normal flora in approximately 30% of people yet can be a tenacious pathogen [22], is the leading cause (80-90%) of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) [23,24].…”

“…The antibacterial action of substances from natural origins incorporated into NLCs has been extensively studied over the past few years [29][30][31]. Encapsulation can be a suitable strategy to protect antimicrobial substances against some harsh conditions of processing and storage and to provide efficient formulations for antimicrobials [21]. Therefore, the development of alternative drug administration approaches and novel antimicrobials is imperative.…”

“…Therefore, the development of alternative drug administration approaches and novel antimicrobials is imperative. Natural oil-based NLC formulations have improved biological activity and have shown antimicrobial effects against human skin pathogens [21,30,31]. However, most research showed the synergic efficacy of NLC-drug conjugate systems [21,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36].…”