Quercetin loaded cosm-nutraceutical electrospun composite nanofibers for acne alleviation: Preparation, characterization and experimental clinical appraisal

Abstract In the cosmeceutical field, it is essential to develop topical delivery systems which would allow drugs to create a depot and permeate within the skin. The aim of the present study was to develop composite nanofibers of polyvinyl alcohol/quercetin/essential oils using the electrospinning technique, and assess their efficiency in acne alleviation. Quercetin was chosen due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and antibacterial activities. Nanofibers were characterized for their morphology, ex-vivo deposition/permeation, physical/mechanical integrity, thermal properties, and chemical characteristics. In addition, the anti-bacterial efficacy was tested on Propionibacterium acne (P. acne), and a cytotoxicity assay was carried out. Lastly, an experimental clinical trial was conducted on acne patients, where the percentage reduction of inflammatory, non-inflammatory and total acne lesions was taken as evaluation criterion. Results showed that quercetin was successfully loaded into the nanofibers which were homogenously dispersed. They showed a reasonable skin deposition percentage of 28.24% ± 0.012, a significantly higher antibacterial efficacy against Propionibacterium acne than quercetin alone, and were utterly safe on skin fibroblastic cells. Upon clinical examination on acne patients, the nanofibers showed 61.2%, 14.7%, and 52.9% reduction of inflammatory, comedonal, and total acne lesions respectively, suggesting a promising topical anti-acne delivery system.