Punica granatum Loaded Glycerosomes for Antibacterial Effect in Skin Infections: Preparation, Optimization, In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization

The worldwide proliferation of infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, especially those that exhibit resistance to several medicines, has emerged as a significant concern in the field of public health. To address the infection-related issue, we investigated Punica granatum, commonly known as pomegranate, as an antibacterial agent by encapsulating it in glycerosomes, which were developed by the thin film hydration method and optimized using the Box-Behnken design, keeping independent variables to be the amount of phospholipid, cholesterol, and %v/v of glycerol. The optimized Punica granatum glycerosomes (PGG) were subjected to characterization of their vesicle size, PDI, and % entrapment efficiency, which are our dependent variables. Vesicle size, PDI, and %EE of PGG were found to be 145.71 ± 3.6 nm, PDI 0.195 ± 0.03, and 75.49 ± 4.12%, respectively. The zeta potential, which was − 26.61 ± 1.46 mV, indicates that the formulation was stable. In vitro drug release of PGG was better than PG suspension and followed the Higuchi release model. To determine the skin penetration and permeation, ex vivo skin permeation was utilized. Increased negativity within the cohesiveness value of the gel suggested its rigidity, whereas effective spreadability indicated enhanced ease of application onto the surface. PGG has better antioxidant properties than PG suspension, as observed by utilizing the DPPH method. The MIC of PGG was 6 mg/ml and showed significant inhibition of bacterial growth. Based on the various findings of our study, we can infer that PGG gel is potent in leveraging antimicrobial activity and can be investigated further.