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

Objective(s): Oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions are used in a wide 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 preparation and evaluation of O/W nanoemulsion containing aqueous solution of saffron as hydrophilic medium and sesame oil as lipophilic medium were the purpose of this study. Methods: O/W nanoemulsions were prepared by sesame oil, saffron aqueous solution and poly ethylene glycol (PEG) using span 80 surfactant and homogenizer at room temperature. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize sample size. Viscosity was applied to determine the rheological properties of the nanoemulsion at room temperature. The diameter of the inhibition zone was used to measure the antibacterial activity of samples against an important pathogen bacterium, Escherichia coli (E. coli). MTT assay was applied to evaluate the cytotoxicity of samples for HEK239 human cell line at different concentrations and time. Results: 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. Conclusions: The study showed that nanoemulsions based on aqueous solution of saffron and sesame oil can be a good candidate for medicinal applications.