Synergistic antifungal potential of fluconazole-based cardamom oil oral microemulsion formulation against C. albicans

Year 2022, Volume: 26 Issue: 5 , 1065 - 1083 , 28.06.2025

Nisha Tiwari Amaravadi V.n. Sivakumar

https://izlik.org/JA44UT97NC

Abstract

Microemulsion has grabbed a lot of attention in the last few decades as a unique candidate for drug
delivery owing to its low viscosity, limpidness, ease of preparation, and good thermodynamic stability. The potential
to incorporate drugs from unlike lipophilicity and its spontaneous formation makes it a suitable candidate for
pharmaceutical application. The objective of the current study is to enhance the solubility of Fluconazole, an antifungal
drug by formulating a microemulsion made up of cardamom oil, tween 20, and water (5:15:80). The formulations were
checked for their physiochemical properties and thermodynamic stability. An antimicrobial activity like zone of
inhibition, minimum inhibitory concentration and kill kinetics assay for optimized formulations were checked against
C. albicans. The droplet size of the system and FLZ loaded microemulsion was found to be 7.8 and 8.6nm respectively.
In vitro drug release from optimized microemulsion formulation showed efficient release (78.45%) compared to the bulk
API (7.98%) in simulated intestinal fluid. The cytoplasmic release for CDMM FLZ ME at 0.5X, 1X and 5X was 43.24%,
82.11%, 91.73% respectively. In vitro toxicity demonstrated a lower toxicity rate with lower surfactant concentration
against human lymphocytes and its safer usage. SEM analysis depicts the morphological distortion in C. albicans that
occurred due to the interaction with microemulsion. The results indicate cardamom oil-based microemulsion is an
efficient drug delivery vehicle intended for oral usage.

Keywords

Antifungal , Minimum Inhibitory concentration , Oral drug delivery , Microemulsion , Thermodynamic stability

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