Berberine Loaded Tragacanth-Acacia Gum Nanocomplexes: Synthesis, Characterization and Evaluation of In Vitro Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Activity

The present study focused on the synthesis and characterization of natural gum-based nanocarrier for the hydrophobic drug, berberine, using acacia and tragacanth gum to improve its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Berberine loaded tragacanth-acacia gum nanocomplexes were prepared by ionic complexation method and central composite experimental design was applied to optimize nanocomplexes for appropriate particle size and efficient entrapment. The developed nanocomplexes were characterized by dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and Transmission electron microscopy. The prepared berberine formulation was assessed for in vitro drug release study, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. The optimized berberine loaded tragacanth-acacia gum nanocomplexes had a particle size of 238.1 nm and entrapment efficiency of 94.8%. TEM observations illustrated spherically shaped nanocomplexes with size in the range of 110–235 nm. Moreover, berberine loaded tragacanth-acacia gum nanocomplexes have controlled released property in vitro and showed enhanced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential as indicated by relatively high percentage of scavenging effect (DPPH assay) and Human Red Blood Cell (HRBC) membrane protection over berberine. In conclusion, the ameliorated biological potential of berberine upon encapsulation into gum nanocomplexes indicates that synthesized nanocomplexes can be utilized as an efficient carrier for improving the biological potential of the drug with significant applications in pharmaceutics.