A new article published in Materials Science & Engineering elaborated on a newly developed water-in-oil microemulsion containing vitamin A (retinol) and vitamin E (α-tocopherol), which serves as a multifunctional nanosystem that co-delivers antioxidants and displays additive effect against acute skin inflammation.

The authors reported that the microemulsion (ME) was prepared by mixing a surfactant blend (Tween 80 and propylene glycol, 5:1) with isopropyl myristate and water (ratio of 50:40:10, respectively). Vitamin A (0.05% w/w concentration) and/or vitamin E (0.1% w/w concentration) were incorporated into the surfactant mixture of ME by stirring with a magnetic stirrer for 30 minutes.

This multifunctional ME displayed physical stability, with low cytotoxicity in 3T3 cell line, as well as cellular internalization into the cytosol. In vivo treatments using ME delivering α-tocopherol reduced dermal expression of TNF-α by 1.3-fold, when compared to unloaded ME treatment group. When retinol was added into the ME containing α-tocopherol, it further reduced TNF-α expression by 2-fold, suggesting the additive effect of vitamin E and vitamin A in the treatment against skin inflammation.

Hence, the use of water-in-oil ME to pack both vitamin E and vitamin A was successfully developed. Additionally, its anti-inflammatory potential when applied topically to TPA-induced inflamed skin was demonstrated.

Source: Materials Science & Engineering. 2020 May;110:110639. doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2020.110639. Epub 2020 Jan 7.