Development and In-Vivo Validation of a Buxus papillosa–Salvia hispanica Seed Oil-Based Topical Gel for Attenuating Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
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Abstract
Background: Inflammation and oxidative stress are closely associated with the progression of several inflammatory disorders. Plant-derived seed oils may provide a promising approach for developing topical formulations with complementary anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The present study aimed to develop and evaluate a topical gel containing Buxus papillosa and Salvia hispanica seed oils.
Methods: Five Carbopol 940-based gel formulations (F1–F5) were developed and evaluated for physicochemical characteristics, in-vitro release, release kinetics, ex-vivo skin permeation, stability, and skin irritation. The optimized formulation was further evaluated for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity using a formalin-induced paw edema model. Biochemical parameters including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), total protein, and catalase were assessed.
Results: The combined formulation F5 demonstrated favorable physicochemical characteristics, with 94.03% cumulative in-vitro release and 80.24% ex-vivo skin permeation at 12 h. Release kinetics showed the highest correlation with the Higuchi model (R² = 0.9967). F5 produced the greatest reduction in formalin-induced paw edema among the experimental formulations, with paw volume reduced to 0.92 ± 0.008, compared with 1.48 ± 0.014 in the disease-control group and 0.87 ± 0.005 with indomethacin. F5 also markedly restored SOD, GSH, total protein, and catalase levels compared with the disease-control group. No visible skin irritation was observed during the 7-day assessment.
Conclusion: The B. papillosa–S. hispanica seed-oil-loaded topical gel, particularly F5, demonstrated promising anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, together with favorable release, permeation, stability, and skin-tolerability characteristics. These findings support further mechanistic and translational investigation of this plant-derived topical formulation.