Piperine Nanoparticles for Topical Application: Preparation, Characterization, In vitro and In silico Evaluation

In this study, piperine was investigated as a drug molecule due to its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Piperine was encapsulated with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) in order to increase drug bioavailability for topical applications. Characterization of piperine PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) were performed with spectroscopic and imaging methods. It was found that the piperine PLGA NPs were successfully prepared according to the analyses. The encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of the piperine were calculated as 99% and 3%, respectively. In vitro release study was also performed. Besides, it was shown that piperine had no mutagenic effect. Finally, molecular docking simulation was performed by using the AutoDock Vina program to identify the interaction between piperine and COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. The aim of this study is to contribute to the design of plant derived nano-formulations for local anti-inflammation and pain treatment with better skin penetration.