Ricerc@Sapienza

The aim of the present work is to develop nanoemulsions (NEs), nanosized emulsions, manufactured for
improving the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients. In particular, nanoemulsions composed of
Neem seed oil, contain rich bioactive components, and Tween 20 as nonionic surfactant were prepared.
A mean droplet size ranging from 10 to 100nm was obtained by modulating the oil/surfactant ratio.
Physicochemical characterisation was carried out evaluating size, f-potential, microviscosity, polarity and
turbidity of the external shell and morphology, along with stability in simulated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF),
activity of Neem oil alone and in NEs, HEp-2 cell interaction and cytotoxicity studies. This study confirms
the formation of NEs by Tween 20 and Neem oil at different weight ratios with small and homogenous
dimensions. The antioxidant activity of Neem oil alone and in NEs was comparable, whereas its cytotoxicity
was strongly reduced when loaded in NEs after interaction with HEp-2 cells.