Kelidari Mohammad, Abdi-Moghadam Zohreh, Sabzevar Tahmineh Esfandiari, Khajenouri Mohammad, Shakeri Abolfazl
Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.
Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2025 Jul 8;255:114939. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2025.114939.
Essential oils (EOs) possess significant therapeutic potential, but their clinical and industrial applications are hindered by low water solubility, volatility, and instability. Nanoemulsion-based formulations have emerged as promising delivery systems to overcome these limitations. This review provides an updated overview of the preparation strategies-including high-energy and low-energy methods-used for EO nanoemulsions, with a focus on their physicochemical characteristics and biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory effects. Specific applications of nanoemulsions formulated with EOs from Origanum, Thymus, Mentha, and Eucalyptus species are discussed. Moreover, challenges in clinical translation, safety, and regulatory considerations are highlighted. Comparative insights into different EO types and preparation methods are also summarized, offering a mechanistic understanding of their therapeutic potential. Future studies are needed to evaluate long-term toxicity, optimize formulation scalability, and explore clinical applications of EO nanoemulsions in targeted drug delivery.
精油具有显著的治疗潜力，但其临床和工业应用受到低水溶性、挥发性和不稳定性的阻碍。基于纳米乳液的制剂已成为克服这些限制的有前景的递送系统。本综述提供了用于精油纳米乳液的制备策略（包括高能和低能方法）的最新概述，重点关注其物理化学特性和生物活性，如抗氧化、抗菌、抗真菌和抗炎作用。讨论了用牛至属、百里香属、薄荷属和桉属植物的精油配制的纳米乳液的具体应用。此外，还强调了临床转化、安全性和监管方面的挑战。还总结了对不同精油类型和制备方法的比较见解，提供了对其治疗潜力的机理理解。未来需要开展研究来评估长期毒性、优化制剂的可扩展性，并探索精油纳米乳液在靶向药物递送中的临床应用。
