Date Palm Extract (Phoenix dactylifera) Encapsulated into Palm Oil Nanolipid Carrier for Prospective Antibacterial Influence

Abstract

It is worthwhile to note that using natural products today has shown to be an effective strategy for attaining the therapeutic goal with the highest impact and the fewest drawbacks. In Saudi Arabia, date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is considered the principal fruit owing to its abundance and incredible nutritional benefits in fighting various diseases. The main objective of the study is to exploit the natural products as well as the nanotechnology approach to obtain great benefits in managing disorders. The present investigation focused on using the powder form of date palm extract (DPE) of Khalas cultivar and incorporates it into a nanolipid formulation such as a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) prepared with palm oil. Using the quality by design (QbD) methodology, the most optimized formula was chosen based on the number of assigned parameters. For more appropriate topical application, the optimized DP-NLC was combined with a pre-formulated hydrogel base forming the DP-NLC-hydrogel. The developed DP-NLC-hydrogel was evaluated for various physical properties including pH, viscosity, spreadability, and extrudability. Additionally, the in vitro release of the formulation as well as its stability upon storage under two different conditions of room temperature and refrigerator were investigated. Eventually, different bacterial strains were utilized to test the antibacterial efficacy of the developed formulation. The optimized DP-NLC showed proper particle size (266.9 nm) and in vitro release 77.9%. The prepared DP-NLC-hydrogel showed acceptable physical properties for topical formulation, mainly, pH 6.05, viscosity 9410 cP, spreadability 57.6 mm, extrudability 84.5 (g/cm²), and in vitro release 42.4%. Following three months storage under two distinct conditions, the formula exhibited good stability. Finally, the antibacterial activity of the developed DP-NLC-hydrogel was evaluated and proved to be efficient against various bacterial strains.

Keywords: antibacterial; date palm extract; nanolipid carrier; natural products; optimization; palm oil; topical drug delivery.

Figure 1

(A) All factor plot, (B) Three-dimensional response surface plot, and (C) Linear correlation plot between predicted against actual values for establishing the influence of variables X₁ and X₂ on the particle size response (Y₁).

Figure 1

(A) All factor plot, (B) Three-dimensional response surface plot, and (C) Linear correlation plot between predicted against actual values for establishing the influence of variables X₁ and X₂ on the particle size response (Y₁).

Figure 2

(A) All factor plot, (B) Three-dimensional response surface plot, and (C) Linear correlation plot between predicted versus actual values for illustrating the influence of variables X₁ and X₂ on the EE response (Y₂).

Figure 3

(A) Optimization ramp screening independent variable concentration, along with their expected values of responses; particle size and encapsulation efficiency, and (B) three-dimensional desirability figure illustrating the influence of X₁ and X₂ concentration on overall responses.

Figure 4

Particle size of optimized DP-NLC formulation.

Figure 5

In vitro release of DP from optimized NLC and NLC-hydrogel formulation in phosphate buffer pH 5.5 at 32 °C ± 0.5. Results are shown as mean ± SD (n = 3). * p < 0.05 compared to DP-NLC formulation.

Figure 6

Stability profile of DP-NLC-hydrogel formulation following storage for 1 and 3 months at 4 °C and 25 °C relative to (A) pH, (B) viscosity, (C) spreadability, (D) extrudability, and (E) % of in vitro drug release compared to same formulation while fresh.

Figure 6

Stability profile of DP-NLC-hydrogel formulation following storage for 1 and 3 months at 4 °C and 25 °C relative to (A) pH, (B) viscosity, (C) spreadability, (D) extrudability, and (E) % of in vitro drug release compared to same formulation while fresh.

Figure 7

Zone of inhibition caused by the examined formulations. (A) DP-NLC-hydrogel, (B) FA cream (fucidin^®), and (C) Blank NLC-hydrogel on different bacteria: (I) Bacillus subtilis, (II) Staphylococcus aureus, and (III) klebsiella pneumoniae.

Figure 8

SEM images displaying the pattern of the bacterial biofilms formed following 24 h of incubation and its inhibition. (A) Control Klebsiella pneumoniae, (B) Klebsiella pneumoniae treated with DP-NLC-hydrogel, (C) Control staphylococcus aureus, and (D) Staphylococcus aureus treated with DP-NLC-hydrogel.