Evaluation of Anti-proliferative Effects of Nanoemulsion Containing Licorice Extract and Lavender Essential oil Against Cancer Cells and Its antimicrobial Properties: An in vitro study

Despite the anti-cancer and antimicrobial effect of licorice extract and lavender essential oil, some factor such as low bioavailability and biodegradable, limit the use of them as a therapeutic treatment. Using of nanoparticles is one of the ways to overcome these limitations. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-proliferative effects of nanoemulsion containing licorice extract and lavender essential oil against cancer cells and evaluate its antimicrobial properties in the In Vitro environment.

In this experimental study nano-emulsion containing rosemary and peppermint essential oils was synthesized by spontaneous emulsification. The cell toxicity of nanoemulsion was studied using the MTT method against HepG2 and SK-MEL-3 cell lines. The antibacterial activity of nanoemulsion was determined using four bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis, Stapphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method.

The results of MTT test on HepG2 cells showed that concentrations of 630, 1250 and 2500 μg/ml nanoemulsions caused toxicity to the cell and caused the death of more than 50% of the cells (IC50=401μg/ml ((p<0.05). Evaluation of SK-MEL3 cells showed that with the exception of 75 μg of nanoemulsion, other concentrations caused the death of more than 50% of the cells (IC50=82μg/ml ((p<0.05). The MIC results revealed that the nanoemulsion had a significant antibacterial activity.

the nanoemulsion containing lavender essential oil and licorice extract had antibacterial and anti-proliferative activities against cancer cells. The results of this study indicated that nanoemulsification of lavender essential oil and licorice extract can enhance their biological effect and it can be used as a drug formulation.