Lamellar Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Phases as a Carrier for Skin Delivery of Morus alba Stem Extract

Abstract

Morus alba stem extract possesses several biological activities. However, skin delivery of the extract is limited by the stratum corneum. In this study, lamellar lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) was investigated for the potential application in the skin delivery of M. alba stem extract. The four formulations were developed and incorporated with M. alba stem extract at 3% w/w. These formulations were stored at room temperature in light-protected containers for 3 months. The optical pattern under polarized light microscope, viscosity and remaining of the extract were determined. The skin penetration enhancing property of the formulations was investigated using excised porcine ear skin model. The results showed that all formulations remained stable after 3-month storage. The two formulations exhibiting good penetration enhancing properties were F3 consisting of PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate/n-Dodecane/Water/extract (55.29/19.40/22.31/3.00 %w/w) and F4 consisting of mixed Surfactant/n-Dodecane/Water/extract (48.50/4.85/43.65/3.00 %w/w). The mixed surfactant composed of PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate/PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil/Glyceryl oleate (40/33.24/26.76 %w/w). It can be concluded that the lamellar LLC formulations developed in this study can be used as a carrier for delivering of M. alba stem extract. The components of the formulations which play important roles are the oil and the surfactant.