Nanoencapsulation of essential oil into liposomes with anticancer potential.

L. essential oil possesses a wide spectrum of biological activities. Nanoencapsulation of essential oil into liposomes seems to be a promising strategy to maintain and improve these biological properties. This research was carried out to develop a suitable liposomal formulation for the effective encapsulation of essential oil in order to improve the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. The characterization of liposomal nanocarriers was conducted in terms of size, zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency. An MTT assay was used to assess the cytotoxic activity of the prepared and characterized essential oil liposomes in MCF-7 cancer cell lines. Antioxidant activity was determined by assessing DPPH scavenging activity. essential oil exerted cytotoxic activity with an IC of 50 μg/ml. The essential oil of was effectively encapsulated in liposomes, with no significant change observed among the formulations. The antioxidant activity was significantly enhanced after encapsulating the essential oil in liposomes. essential-oil-loaded Phospholipon 90H liposomes demonstrated considerably increased cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cells, whereas Lipoid S100 liposomes showed no significant differences from the non-encapsulated essential oil. Phospholipon 85G liposomes had the least cytotoxic impact. As a result, liposomes containing essential oil may be promising nanocarriers for the development of anticancer agents.