| dc.description.abstract | Background: Saffron exhibits therapeutic activities such as antioxidant and antiinflammatory effects. However, its key compounds, crocin and safranal, have
limited solubility and stability, which may be improved using a SelfNanoemulsifying Drug Delivery System (SNEDDS) to enhance their stability and
solubility.
Objective: To develop and characterize saffron SNEDDS to improvove solubility
and stability of its bioactive compounds.
Methods: Saffron stigmas are extracted using ultrasound-assisted extraction with
58.58% ethanol-water. Castor oil represents the oil phase, Tween 80 is the
surfactant, while propylene glycol is used as a cosurfactant. Formulations are
optimized by adjusting component ratios. Cytotoxicity is assessed on Vero cells
treated with saffron-loaded SNEDDS (100–2000 ppm) using the MTT assay.
Evaluated parameters include extract yield, droplet size, PDI, zeta potential, loading
capacity, in vitro drug release, and stability. IC₅₀ was calculated to determine
cytotoxicity.
Results: The extract met Category I quality with a 55.8% yield. Crocin is most
soluble in propylene glycol and Tween 80, while safranal and picrocrocin dissolved
best in castor oil. The solubility profile supported a high Smix-to-oil ratio. The
optimized SNEDDS (Smix 4:1, Smix:oil 9:1) produced droplets <200 nm with PDI
≤0.3, zeta potential ~–32 mV, and encapsulation efficiency >80%. In vitro release
followed first-order (crocin and picrocrocin) and Higuchi (safranal) models. After
one month, the formulation remains stable in appearance, droplet size, and PDI,
though zeta potential stayed slightly below ideal. IC₅₀ is found 0.275 µg/mL,
classifying it as highly toxic.
Conclusion: The saffron-loaded SNEDDS showed promising physicochemical
properties and stability, but its high cytotoxicity limits potential for human use. | en_US |
