Evaluating the Anti-proliferative Effects of Nanoemulsion Containing Licorice Extract and Lavender Essential Oil on Cancer
Authors:   Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran., Karimi Taheri Zohreh , Aarabi Mohammad Hosein ,   Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran., Nazari Alam Ali ,   Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran., Nejati Majid ,   Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran., Shayestehpour Mohammad ,   Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran., Gilasi Hamid Reza ,   Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan., Salehi Afshin ,   Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran., Shahaboddin Mohammad Esmaeil ,   Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Published: August 2021

Background and Aim: Despite the anti-cancer and antimicrobial properties of licorice extract and lavender essential oil, some factors, such as low bioavailability and biodegradable, limit their therapeutic use. Using nanoparticles is a method to overcome these restrictions. This study aimed to investigate the anti-proliferative effects of nanoemulsion containing licorice extract and lavender essential oil on cancer cells; we also evaluated its antimicrobial properties in vitro. Methods & Materials: In this experimental study, nanoemulsions, containing licorice extract and lavender essential oil were developed by the spontaneous emulsion method. The anti-proliferative effect of nanoemulsion was investigated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric method on two cell lines HepG2 and SK-MEL-3. To measure the antimicrobial effect of 4 standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) method was used. Ethical Considerations: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Kashan University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.KAUMS.MEDNT.REC.1396.106). Results: The results of MTT test on HepG2 cells indicated that the concentrations of 630, 1250, and 2500 μg/mL nanoemulsions caused toxicity to the cell and led to the death of >50% of the cells (IC50=401μg/mL; P<0.05). Evaluating SK-MEL3 cells revealed that except for 75 μg of nanoemulsion, other concentrations induced death in >50% of the cells (IC50 = 82 μg/mL; P<0.05). In addition, nanoemulsions, with antimicrobial properties, were studied in 4 strains of bacteria; the highest antimicrobial properties were observed in Staphylococcus epidermidis. Conclusion: Nanoemulsion containing licorice extract and lavender essential oil presents antimicrobial and antiproliferative effects on the two cell lines studied. The current study results indicated that the nano emulsification of lavender essential oil and licorice extract can enhance their biological impact; thus, they can be used as a drug formulation.