PREPARATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND IN-VITRO EVALUATION OF BERBERINE LOADED NANOEMULSION FOR ENHANCED ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY

Aim: The current research aimed to formulate and evaluate herbal nanoemulsion of poorly soluble Berberine hydrochloride, which can provide a realistic alternative for treating microbial infections. Materials and Methods: The drug was characterized using various analytical techniques such as Ultraviolet Spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Differential Scanning Calorimetry study. The herbal nanoemulsion was prepared using the water titration method by constructing pseudo-ternary phase diagrams. Formulations were evaluated by thermodynamic stability studies, droplet size analysis, viscosity, drug content, refractive index, polydispersity, and in-vitro release study. Results: On the basis of the analytical study, no interaction between the drug and excipients was found. Based on visual observation nanoemulsion was optimized by using thermodynamic stability study and freeze-thaw cycle. The optimized nanoemulsion (NE-2) shows droplet size of 203.7 nm, Viscosity-94 centipoises, Zeta potential -19mv, polydispersity index- 0.366. The optimized formulation NE-2 shows 91.7% drug release in 24 hours and was further evaluated for antimicrobial activity using Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans. The zone of inhibition was found to be 56.26± 1.78 mm for antibacterial activity and 52.62±1.78 mm for anti-fungal activity with respect to control, i.e. 7.59±0.62 mm at 500 ppm. This indicates that the prepared formulation showed the most significant antimicrobial activity. Conclusion: The developed nanoemulsion systems can be a suitable carrier for transdermal delivery of berberine and can be used to treat bacterial and fungal infections such as blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, onychomycosis, etc.