Antioxidant Potency of Moringa oleifera Lam. Extract- and Fraction-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers.

Introduction: The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on the skin can lead to oxidative stress and is believed to contribute to skin aging due to UV radiation. Moringa oleifera Lam. is one of the plants that contains various types of antioxidant compounds. This research aims to determine the antioxidant activity of ethanol extract and fractions from moringa leaves, as well as to formulate and characterize nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) from the selected part of moringa leaves with the best antioxidant activity. Methods: Extraction was carried out using the maceration method with 96% ethanol as the solvent. Fractionation was done using liquid-liquid extraction with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and water as solvents. Antioxidant activity tests on the extract and fractions were conducted using TLC-Bioautography and determination of IC50 values using the DPPH method. Results: The IC50 values for the extract, n-hexane fraction, ethyl acetate fraction, and aqueous-ethanol fraction were 199.79 ± 1.89, 194.96 ± 0.52, 85.77 ± 1.04, and 155.93 ± 2.51 µg/mL, respectively. The ethyl acetate fraction was chosen as the active ingredient for further preparation of NLC due to its best antioxidant activity. The obtained optimal formula consisted of 0.5% ethyl acetate fraction of moringa leaves, 1.8% glyceryl monostearate, 4.2% oleic acid, 4% Tween 80, and 1% TEGO® Care 165. The resulting NLC had a particle size of 253.63 ± 4.97 nm, polydispersity index of 0.34 ± 0.06, zeta potential of -35.59 mV, and encapsulation efficiency of 38.08 ± 15.94%. The antioxidant activity of NLC-Ethyl acetate fraction of moringa leaves increased compared to the IC50 of the ethyl acetate fraction, becoming 71.76 ± 0.81 µg/mL. The NLC-Ethyl acetate fraction formulation showed stability at temperatures of 2-8°C for 14 days. Conclusion: Ethyl acetate fraction of Moringa oleifera Lam. loaded NLC formula can be improved as a potential antioxidant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]