Enhancement of Curcumin's Anti-Psoriatic Efficacy via Formulation into Tea Tree Oil-Based Emulgel

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by the hyperproliferation and aberrant differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. It is a debilitating condition that can cause significant physical and emotional distress. Natural anti-psoriatic agents have been investigated as alternatives to conventional allopathic medications, as they have notable limitations and drawbacks. Curcumin and tea tree oil are cost-efficient and effective anti-inflammatory medicines with less adverse effects compared to synthetic psoriasis medications. Our research endeavors to harness the therapeutic potential of these natural compounds by developing an herbal anti-psoriatic topical drug delivery system. This novel method uses curcumin and tea tree oil to create a bi-phasic emulgel drug delivery system. Formulations F1 (gel) and F2 (emulgel) have high drug content percentages of 84.2% and 96.7%, respectively. The emulgel showed better spreadability for cutaneous applications, with a viscosity of 92,200 ± 943 cp compared to the gel's 56,200 ± 1725 cp. The emulgel released 94.48% of the drugs, compared to 87.58% for the gel. These formulations conform to the zero-order and Higuchi models, and their stability over a three-month period is crucial. In vivo, the emulgel healed psoriasis symptoms faster than the usual gel. The gathered results confirmed the emulgel's potential as a drug delivery method, emphasizing the complementary benefits of tea tree oil and curcumin as an effective new therapy for psoriasis.