Development of topical formulation of lycopene nano-elastic vesicles to combat oxidative stress

Lycopene is a natural bright red carotenoid. It is insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents like methanol and Dichloromethane (DCM). It is a natural antioxidant hence used treatment of various cardiovascular diseases and in the treatment of various cancers. In the present study, Lycopene nano-elastic vesicles for topical use were prepared and optimized for entrapment efficiency, particle size, and PDI. Vesicles were prepared using soy lecithin (phospholipids) and span 60 as edge activator. Chloroform and methanol were used as a solvent to dissolve lipids and surfactants. Vesicles were prepared using the thin-film hydration method. The vesicle size and entrapment efficiency were optimized using the amount of solvent. The optimized formulation was prepared had particle size 311.1 nm and entrapment efficiency of 41.25%, which shows 100% drug release within 7 hours of the release study. An antioxidant study was carried out using the DPPH assay method and found out that 1 Mole of lycopene can neutralize 2.2063 moles of DPPH.