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Nanoemulsion-Based System as a Novel and Promising Approach for Enhancing the Antimicrobial and Antitumoral Activity of Thymus vulgaris (L.) Oil in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

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Abstract

The utilisation of medicinal plants and their essential oils is receiving more attention due to the ineffectiveness of current therapeutic methods in the treatment of various cancers and the rising incidence of bacterial antibiotic resistance. Thymol, an active ingredient of Thymus vulgaris, is known to have hepatoprotective, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. To overcome major obstacles to their usage, such as quick oxidation and high volatility, plant essential oils must be administered through a system to improve the delivery of their active pharmaceutical ingredient. The bioavailability of active substances may be enhanced by the colloidal dispersion nanoemulsion. Therefore, this study aims to derive a comparative evaluation of the thyme oil nanoemulsion formulation and the characterisation of its antibacterial and antitumorigenic activities. A nanoemulsion (NE) with a droplet size of 122.2 ± 1.079 nm was discovered to be stable and mono-dispersed for 4 months and inhibited the growth of B. subtilis, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus. It also displayed antitumorigenic capabilities in HepG2 cells by arresting the cell cycle in the G2/M phase and upregulating the gene expression levels of Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), Caspase 3, 8, and 9, as well as a concomitant concentration-dependent decrease in B-cell leukaemia/lymphoma 2 protein (BCL2). Along with an increase in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) levels, upregulation of the expression levels of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathways was also seen, indicating of ROS formation in the cancer cells.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Gujarat Institute for Chemical Technology (GICT) (AU/DBLS/GICT-nanomaterials/2016-17/01) for the funding and has been acknowledged for the establishment of a facility for environmental risk assessment of chemicals and nanomaterials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological and Life Sciences, School of Arts & Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Central Campus, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujarat, India

    Simran Nasra, Nikita Meghani & Ashutosh Kumar

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  1. Simran Nasra
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  2. Nikita Meghani
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Nanoemulsion preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Simran Nasra. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Simran Nasra and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. Analysis and manuscript review were performed by Nikita Meghani. Conceptualisation, supervision, funding acquisition, and writing—reviewing and editing were performed by Ashutosh Kumar. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ashutosh Kumar.

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Nasra, S., Meghani, N. & Kumar, A. Nanoemulsion-Based System as a Novel and Promising Approach for Enhancing the Antimicrobial and Antitumoral Activity of Thymus vulgaris (L.) Oil in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 196, 949–970 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-023-04571-1

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