Formulation, Optimization, and In Vitro Evaluation of a Cassia tora Seed Extract (Chrysophanic Acid-9-Anthrone)-Loaded Nanoemulsion Gel for Topical Antifungal Delivery

Nikita Jayadeo Chaudhari; Suhas N Sakarkar; Pooja Ghutke

Formulation, Optimization, and In Vitro Evaluation of a Cassia tora Seed Extract (Chrysophanic Acid-9-Anthrone)-Loaded Nanoemulsion Gel for Topical Antifungal Delivery

Author(s)	Ms. Nikita Jayadeo Chaudhari, Dr. Suhas N Sakarkar, Prof. Pooja Ghutke
Country	India
Abstract	Superficial cutaneous mycoses remain a widespread dermatological burden, and conventional topical antifungal creams and ointments are often limited by poor skin residence time, low aqueous solubility of active agents, and rising resistance among dermatophyte and mould species. Chrysophanic acid-9-anthrone, an anthraquinone principle isolated from the seeds of Cassia tora Linn., has documented antifungal activity but poor formulability restricts its topical use. Objective: To formulate, optimize, and evaluate a Cassia tora seed extract (chrysophanic acid-9-anthrone)-loaded oil-in-water nanoemulsion gel intended for topical antifungal delivery. Methods: Chrysophanic acid-9-anthrone was extracted from Cassia tora seeds by sequential Soxhlet defatting (petroleum ether) and extraction (benzene) and characterized for organoleptic, solubility, partition coefficient, loss on drying, melting point, UV/FTIR and TLC properties. Five oleic acid-in-water nanoemulsions (NE-A0–NE-A4) were prepared by high-speed homogenization/ultrasonication and screened for viscosity, droplet size, polydispersity index, and thermodynamic stability. The optimized nanoemulsion (NE-A1) was incorporated into Carbopol 934 hydrogel bases (1–4% w/w) to yield four nanoemulsion gels (NEG-1–NEG-4), which were characterized for pH, viscosity, spreadability, extrudability, swelling index and drug content, and evaluated for in vitro drug release across an egg-membrane diffusion model and antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger MTCC 282 by agar-well diffusion. The optimized gel (NEG-2) was subjected to a 3-month accelerated stability study. Results: NE-A1 showed the smallest mean droplet size (850.4 nm) and lowest viscosity (4240 cps) among thermodynamically stable batches. NEG-2 (2% w/w Carbopol 934) showed the most favourable overall profile (pH 6.39, spreadability 4.0 cm, drug content 93.55%) and released 42.6% of the loaded drug over 120 minutes, compared with 36.8–39.6% for the other gels. NEG-2 produced a concentration-dependent zone of inhibition against A. niger, rising from 8.7 mm at 25 µg/mL to 22.0 mm at 100 µg/mL, approaching the 26.0 mm zone of the amphotericin B reference standard. The optimized gel retained acceptable pH, viscosity and >90% drug content after 3 months at 37 °C/65% RH and 45 °C/75% RH. Conclusion: A Cassia tora-derived nanoemulsion gel is a technically feasible, physicochemically stable, and antifungally active topical delivery system, supporting its further evaluation as a plant-derived alternative to conventional synthetic topical antifungals.
Keywords	Cassia tora; chrysophanic acid-9-anthrone; nanoemulsion gel; topical antifungal delivery; Aspergillus niger; herbal nanocarrier
Field	Medical / Pharmacy
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-07-26

View / Download PDF File

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Formulation, Optimization, and In Vitro Evaluation of a Cassia tora Seed Extract (Chrysophanic Acid-9-Anthrone)-Loaded Nanoemulsion Gel for Topical Antifungal Delivery

Share this