​​​​ Membrane active nanoemulgel incorporating Atorvastatin and carom seed essential oil for combating multidrug...

This study aimed to utilize atorvastatin in combination with carom seed essential oil (EO) to formulate a composite nanoemulgel with synergistic antimicrobial efficacy against resistant microbial strains. The nanoemulsion gel was developed using a high-speed mixing process followed by characterization based on particle size, surface charge, pH, polydispersity index, spreadability, viscosity, stability, drug content, vibrational assessment, in vitro release, and skin irritation tests. Atorvastatin in combination with Carom seed EO showed a higher zone of inhibition with lower MIC values against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) with FIC values of 0.29 and 0.24, respectively. A Box-Behnken design was employed to optimize the nanoemulsion. The globule size (Y1) and PDI (Y2) predicted values were 277.4 nm and 0.307, respectively, while the actual values were 271 nm and 0.40, with a zeta potential of -27. The optimized nanoemulgel incorporated with atorvastatin and carom seed EO exhibited a milky white appearance with pH 5.2, spreadability value 26.6 ± 0.56 g.cm/sec, and viscosity of the formulation was 207.5 ± 2.2 mPa.s with drug content of 98 ± 0.5%. Vibrational spectroscopy results revealed that the optimized nanoemulgel confirmed proper loading without any mismatch amongst active ingredient and excipients. In vitro release pattern was evaluated, and 96% of the drug was release occured from the ATN-G formulation, which follows anomalous transport with diffusion and swelling mechanisms. In vivo skin irritation results showed no signs of irritation after the application of nanoemulgel and blank formulation compared to the formalin-treated group. This unique strategy of combining atorvastatin with Carom seed EO in a nanoemulgel platform opens new horizons for treating resistant wound infections.