NANOEMULGEL BASED ON GUAR GUM AND PLURONIC® F127 CONTAINING ENCAPSULATED HESPERIDIN WITH ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL

Introduction: The development of antioxidant cosmetic products based on natural products added to nanotechnology is gaining more and more prominence. However, some of these actives are hydrophobic, which makes their placement in aqueous systems impossible. As a strategy to deliver hydrophobic actives in hydrophilic gels, nanoemulgels have been presented. Materials and Methods: The present study aimed to prepare an aqueous nanoemulgel based on guar gum and Pluronic® F127 as a strategy for the delivery of hesperidin, a hydrophobic flavonoid. A nanoemulsion was prepared and characterized to be incorporated into the gel. The formed nanoemulgel was evaluated for rheology and antioxidant activity. Results and Discussion: The nanoemulsion had a particle size of 192 ± 4 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.11 ± 0.01 and a zeta potential of -32.1 ± 0.9 mV. The encapsulation efficiency obtained was 99.35% and the rheological study of the nanoemulgel showed satisfactory gel characteristics for topical use. The antioxidant potential of nanoemulsions by the DPPH method presented an IC50 value of 14.4 ±1.3 μg mL-1 expressed in hesperidin equivalent to 17.4 mg mL-1 of the nanoemulgel. The formulated nanoemulgel delivered hesperidinsuccessfully without affecting its antioxidant properties, showing promise as a cosmetic for topical anti-aging use.