Preparation of O/W nanoemulsion containing saffron aqueous solution and sesame oil and evaluation of its properties

The oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsion is employed in a diverse range of biomedical applications due to the unique properties. Saffron is the valuable medicinal food product with many health benefits. Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil with medicinal properties and potential applications. The aim of this study was to prepare and evaluate O/W nanoemulsion containing aqueous solution of saffron as hydrophilic medium and sesame oil as lipophilic medium.

In the presence study, the O/W nanoemulsion was prepared by sesame oil in the presence of saffron aqueous solution and poly ethylene glycol (PEG) using span 80 surfactants and homogenizer at room temperature. The sample size was characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The rheological properties of nanoemulsion were determined by measurement of viscosity at room temperature. The antibacterial activity of samples was measured against an important pathogen bacterium, Escherichia coli (E. coli) using inhibition zone diameter. The cytotoxicity of samples was investigated by MTT assay for HEK239 human cell line at three different concentrations for 1 and 5 days of time.

Based on the results, the nanoemulsions showed the antibacterial activity with low toxicity. The presence of saffron and PEG increased the size, viscosity and antibacterial activity.

The study showed that nanoemulsions based on aqueous solution of saffron and sesame oil can be a good candidate for medicinal applications.