Development of EPS-rich herbal shampoo base fermented using Cyclea peltata leaf powder and Lactobacillus plantarum.

Background: Studies show that the extensive use of chemical shampoos has a negative impact on health. Given the recent trends, the use of herbal shampoos is gaining importance. Cyclea peltata is a common plant in Kerala's coastal region that has traditionally been used to aid in wound healing, allergy relief, and hair and scalp improvement. Greenly produced silver nanoparticles made from plant sources have a wide range of medical applications.

Objective: The main objective is to optimize the base of the shampoo with better solid content by OFAT studies and characterize the silver nanoparticles synthesized using post optimized shampoo base.

Method: Cyclea peltata leaves were fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum for the shampoo formulation, substituting the chemical basis gelatin with an herbal fermented foundation. Silver nanoparticles combined with an herbal formulation should be as safe as herbal shampoo while also being as effective as chemical shampoo. Variation of concentration of Cyclea peltata leaf powder, variation of sucrose concentration, variation of concentration of yeast extract, variation of L. plantarum inoculum, variation of temperature, variation of agitation speed, and variation of time were all studied using the OFAT (One Factor At a Time) method. Silver nanoparticles synthesized using post optimized shampoo bases were also characterized by particle size, zeta potential, and FTIR analysis in order to better understand their properties.

Results: The results clearly indicated that all the six factors had a significant effect on the growth and production of EPS. The pH considered for the shampoo base is above 5 so as to maintain the acidic mantle of the scalp. Green synthesized silver nanoparticles from post optimized shampoo base were obtained within 17th hour of incubation, with single surface plasmon resonance at 420 nm. Nanoparticles showed a peak at -11.6 mv of zeta potential which means that the particles are less agglomerative and stable. Similar groups were seen in ftir spectrum of fermented silver nanoparticles and the plant extract which confirmed the capping of nanoparticles with plant phytochemicals.

Conclusion: The study successfully prepared and characterized green synthesized silver nanoparticles from post optimized shampoo base and also optimized the shampoo base based on the EPS production. Characterization of the silver nanoparticles found that the nanoparticles synthesized were stable, less agglomerative, and had several useful components present in it.