Development of Tulsi Extract-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Acne Treatment

Abstract

Acne vulgaris is one of the most common chronic inflammatory skin disorders affecting adolescents and adults worldwide. It develops due to excessive sebum production, follicular hyperkeratinization, bacterial colonization, and inflammatory responses within the pilosebaceous unit. Conventional topical therapies such as antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide, and retinoids often produce undesirable side effects including skin irritation, dryness, erythema, and microbial resistance after prolonged use. Therefore, there is a growing interest in herbal medicines incorporated into advanced drug delivery systems that improve therapeutic efficacy while minimizing adverse effects.
Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) is a well-known medicinal herb possessing potent antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and wound-healing properties. The major phytoconstituents such as eugenol, ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds exhibit significant inhibitory activity against acne-causing microorganisms while reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. However, the direct topical application of herbal extracts is often limited because of poor skin penetration, instability of bioactive constituents, and reduced residence time on the skin surface.
Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs) are advanced lipid-based nanocarrier systems composed of solid and liquid lipids that improve the stability, skin permeation, controlled drug release, and topical retention of encapsulated phytoconstituents. Incorporation of Tulsi extract into NLCs is expected to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of the herbal extract by increasing drug entrapment, protecting bioactive molecules from degradation, and providing sustained release at the site of application.
The present study aims to formulate and evaluate Tulsi extract-loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for topical acne treatment. The developed formulation will be evaluated for particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, pH, viscosity, drug content, in vitro drug release, antimicrobial activity, stability, and skin compatibility. The optimized NLC formulation is expected to provide enhanced topical drug retention, improved antimicrobial efficacy against acne-causing bacteria, prolonged therapeutic action, and better patient compliance. Therefore, Tulsi extract-loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers may serve as an effective, safe, and economical herbal nanoformulation for the management of acne vulgaris.

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