Antifungal Activity of Azadirachta indica, Curcuma longa, and Essential Oils in a Nano-emulsion for Dandruff

Dandruff is caused by the fungus, Malassezia globosa. An herbal nano-emulsion was developed its (oil-surfactant-water) ratio was optimized via ternary phase diagrams. Nano-emulsions were prepared using modified ultrasonic cavitation method with Curcuma longa, Azadirachta indica extract, as well as, citrus oil, and eucalyptus oil. Nano-emulsions were evaluated for physical properties, antifungal activity, in vitro release and in vivo performance. The nano-emulsion droplets were spherical with an average size of 4.38 ± 0.07 nm. All the shampoos showed a foaming ability above 30%, pH and viscosity within the range of 5.5-6.0 and 6000-9000 MPas. Conditioning property of the shampoo A9 (shampoo with the highest concentration of Azadirachta extract and Eucalyptus oil) was exceptional with the widest zone of inhibition (28.3 ± 0.5 mm) compared with other shampoos and the positive standard (20.5 ± 0.2 mm) in the antifungal assay. This nano-emulsion shows great potential as an antifungal agent for dandruff therapy.