DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF ASTRAGALUS MEMBRANACEUS-LOADED NANOEMULSION FOR THE TREATMENT OF DIABETES
Upasana Singh*
ABSTRACT
Background: Diabetes mellitus is a long-term metabolic disease that is typified by oxidative stress, persistent hyperglycaemia, and related problems such as dyslipidemia and increasing pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. Conventional treatments are accessible, but prolonged use can result in negative side effects and insufficient metabolic control. Despite their promise for multitargeted therapy, herbal bioactives frequently have low bioavailability and poor water solubility. The current work aimed to enhance the antidiabetic activity and drug delivery efficiency by developing and refining an Astragalus membranaceus-loaded nanoemulsion (AM-NEs). Materials and Methods: The castor oil content, Smix ratio (Tween-80 and PEG 400), and sonication time were varied to optimise AM-NEs using a Box-Behnken design. In vitro drug release, morphology, entrapment efficiency, zeta potential, particle size, and polydispersity index were all evaluated for the optimised formulation. Over 21 days, body weight, fasting blood glucose, and lipid profile were measured in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats to determine the antidiabetic efficacy. Results and conclusion: The optimised nanoemulsion showed entrapment efficiency of 83.72 ± 3.85%, zeta potential of −35 mV, PDI of 0.272 ± 0.029, and particle size of 162.76 ± 8.47 nm. According to Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetics, in vitro experiments revealed a cumulative drug release of 67.89% for 24 hours. Morphological investigation verified that the droplets were uniformly distributed and spherical. When compared to diabetic controls, the in vivo study showed a significant, dose-dependent improvement in body weight, a notable decrease in fasting blood glucose, and a normalisation of the lipid profile. In diabetic rats, the nanoemulsion significantly improved lipid metabolism and glycaemic control, suggesting increased pharmacological performance and bioavailability. These results imply that AM-NEs are a promising nanocarrier-based phytopharmaceutical strategy for managing diabetes, which calls for additional mechanistic and clinical research for translational use.
Keywords: Diabetes, Astragalus membranaceus, nanoemulsion, Hyperglycaemia.
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