Synthesis an‎d Characterization of Arbutin-Loaded Niosomal Nanocarriers

9/3/2026 12:00:00 AM

Herbal compounds an‎d their derived formulations, due to the presence of natural active substances, high safety, an‎d fewer side effects compared to chemical compounds, have recently gained a special place in the pharmaceutical an‎d cosmetic industries. Increased public awareness of the long-term benefits of natural materials has led to widespread acceptance of these compounds, especially in the production of cosmetic products. In this regard, the use of herbal compounds as a safe an‎d effective alternative for the treatment of skin disorders, including pigmentation problems, has drawn attention. Treating these disorders is often associated with challenges. To improve treatment efficacy an‎d reduce side effects, recent research has focused on the use of nanocarriers for more efficient delivery of herbal compounds. In this study, arbutin-loaded niosomal nanocarriers were designed an‎d eva‎luated. Various niosomal formulations including non-ionic surfactants (Tween 60, Span 60) an‎d cholesterol were synthesized using the Mozafari method. The physical an‎d chemical properties of the nanosystems were examined using various tests. First, dynamic light scattering test was performed to eva‎luate particle size, an‎d zeta potential test was conducted to assess the surface charge of niosomes. In this test, the particle size an‎d surface charge of the nanosystem under optimized conditions were approximately 193.1 nm an‎d −32 ± 0.75 mV, respectively. The spherical shape an‎d uniform distribution of the niosomes were confirmed using SEM, TEM, an‎d STEM imaging techniques. FTIR spectroscopy was used to investigate the functional groups of the components an‎d potential changes, an‎d results showed no interaction between the niosome an‎d arbutin, indicating that arbutin was physically incorporated into the structure. Also, no specific peak for arbutin was observed in the X-ray diffraction analysis. The results indicated the conversion of arbutin into an amorphous form. The amount of loaded drug was determined using a spectrophotometer, an‎d an encapsulation efficiency of 70±0.07% was obtained. The arbutin release profile from the niosome over 72 hours at 37°C in PBS was eva‎luated using the dialysis bag method, an‎d approximately 63% of arbutin was released during this period with a slow an‎d controlled release pattern. Additionally, the release kinetics analysis with various mathematical models showed that the Higuchi model (R² = 0.91) had the best fit to the data. The performance of the nanosystems was eva‎luated using the MTT assay on HFF cell line. This test confirmed the favorable performance of the arbutin-loaded niosomes on the cell line.

آربوتين , نانوحامل نيوزومي , سورفكتانت غيريوني , رهايش كنترل‌شده

Arbutin , Niosomal nanocarrier , Non-ionic surfactant , Controlled release

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