The optimal extracting process, manufacturing technique and biological evaluation of Lithospermum erythrorhizon microcapsules

Lithospermum erythrorhizon has been proved to be anti-inflammatory, by recent studies. This study extracts L. erythrorhizon with ethanol at various solid–liquid ratios (1:4, 1:6, 1:8, and 1:12), extraction temperatures (40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C), and extraction times (4, 24 and 36 h) in order to determine the optimal parameters. The optimal parameters are extracted and condensed into L. erythrorhizon extract; then the antibacterial property and cell compatibility of L. erythrorhizon extract are evaluated with various concentrations of L. erythrorhizon extract solution and different weights of L. erythrorhizon extract powder, respectively. The concentrations of solution are 0.1 mg/ml, 0.5 mg/ml, 1.0 mg/ml, and 2.0 mg/ml and ethanol is chosen as the solvent, and different weights of powder are varied as 0.1 mg, 1.0 mg, 2.0 mg, and 10 mg. The cell viability test and animal study are performed on L. erythrorhizon microcapsules. The experiment results show that sodium alginate/pectin L. erythrorhizon (SPL) microcapsules possess a 120-hour drug release. The results of cell viability and animal study show that the L. erythrorhizon microcapsules (SPL) have good cell viability (99%) and can help in the wound healing process (the wound size reduction reaches 91.3% on Day 11).