Characterization of free and encapsulated essential oils from Aguaribay

ANDREA C. CUTRÓ; HOLLMANN, AXEL; RODRIGUEZ, SERGIO A.

Jornada; Primeras Jornadas Virtuales de la Sociedad Argentina de Biofísica; 2020

Sociedad Argentina de Biofísica

The antimicrobial activities of essential oil (E.O.) represent an alternative in the search for new antibiotics, given the persistence of certain infections and the emergence of microorganisms resistant to commercial antibiotics. In this context, Schinus areira (Aguaribay) E.O. obtained from leaf specimens located in Santiago del Estero have shown antibacterial action against Staphylococcus aureus. This biological activity was correlated with changes in surface cell zeta potential (Ψp) and cell viability. Moreover, it has been shown to have a differential effect on Ψp of bacterial membrane. Recently E.O. from leaves and fruits obtained from the same specimens, exhibited activity against S. aureus, although to a lesser extent. This fact could be related to differences in the chemical composition as a result of the different periods of sample collection. Finally, phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes with encapsulated E.O. were developed. They kept the antibacterial activity. These vesicles were characterized by biophysical techniques, showing a similar Ψp value and a lesser size in comparison with PC liposomes (-6.1 ± 2.30 mV and -4.35 ± 2 mV; 299.8 ± 53.9 nm and 1266.5 ± 255.8 nm, respectively). Moreover, the formulation showed high encapsulation efficiency (89%). Interestingly, the stability assays showed a loss of E.O components after 15 days of incubation suggested that some components are released from the liposomes, besides further experiments should be made, this data could be an indication that this lipid formulation could be applied as a controlled release of the active compounds.The results obtained would indicate that the E.O. of S. areira both free and encapsulated have a potential use in the pharmaceutical industry.