Two-step method for encapsulation of oregano essential oil in chitosan nanoparticles: preparation, characterization and in vitro release study.

In this study, oregano essential oil (OEO) has been encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles by a two-step method, i.e., oil-in-water emulsion and ionic gelation of chitosan with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). The success of OEO encapsulation was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV-vis spectrophotometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited a regular distribution and spherical shape with size range of 40-80 nm as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). As determined by TGA technique, the encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading capacity (LC) of OEO-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were about 21-47% and 3-8%, respectively, when the initial OEO content was 0.1-0.8 g/g chitosan. In vitro release studies showed an initial burst effect and followed by a slow drug release.