Deepankar Bahuguna

India

Clove Oil–Berberine Nanoemulgel Mitigates Cytokine-Driven Depigmentation in C57BL/6 Mice

Deepankar Bahuguna*1, Harithasree Veerabomma1, Jitendra Kumar1, Saptarshee Bhattacharjee1, Siva Singothu2, Divya Atram1, Vasundhra Bhandari2, Rahul Kumar3, Jitender Madan1

1Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad, Telangana, India

2Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad, Telangana, India

3Department of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Abstract

Background

Vitiligo is a prevalent skin depigmentation disorder that causes progressive loss of pigmentation owing to the destruction of melanocytes within the epidermis. It affects 0.5-1 % of the global population and can occur at any age, though it is predominantly diagnosed during childhood (<10 years) or young adulthood (10-30 years). Methods In the present investigation, the engineering of berberine chloride-nanoemulgel enriched with clove oil (BRB-NEG) was carried out to impart antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and re-pigmentation properties in managing vitiligo. The BRB-nanoemulsion (BRB-NE) was meticulously characterized for droplet size, shape, and zeta potential, while BRB-NEG underwent assessment of rheology, texture, and ex vivo skin permeation studies. Therapeutic efficacy was further assessed in a monobenzone-induced vitiligo mice model. Results BRB-NE enriched with clove oil, a well-known source of eugenol, depicted a droplet size of 20.50 ± 0.10 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.178 ± 0.022. Later, BRB-NE was transformed into BRB-NEG using 1% Carbopol Ultrez 10 NF, achieving a flux of 14.25 ± 6.82 μg/cm²/h. JAK1 and JAK3 play a significant role in the progression of vitiligo. We observed that JAK1, JAK3, TNF-α, IL-6, and IFN-γ mRNA levels were significantly (P < 0.001; P < 0.01) elevated in the experimental vitiligo designated as the positive control group as compared to the normal control group. Interestingly, BRB-NEG significantly (P < 0.01) decreased the IL-6 and IFN-γ expression compared to the PC group. The TNF-α, JAK1, and JAK3 levels were also significantly (P < 0.001) reduced in the BRB-NEG group compared to the PC group. Western blot analysis also demonstrated the reduced expression of JAK1 in the BRB-NEG group relative to the PC group. Conclusions BRB-NEG mitigated vitiligo progression by suppressing inflammation and promoting re-pigmentation, highlighting its potential as a clinically viable treatment option.