IN SILICO STUDY OF FARNESOL AND ITS USE IN EMULSION AS A POTENTIAL TREATMENT FOR GASTRIC ULCER

Farnesol is an organic component found in various natural essential oils with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiarrheal properties. It emerges as an alternative in treating inflammatory diseases such as gastric ulcers, characterized by an imbalance between protective components and aggressive factors affecting the entire gastrointestinal tissue. Conventional medications, although practical, cause adverse effects such as rebound and increased risk of gastric cancer, underscoring the need to develop safer alternative and natural treatments. This study aimed to conduct in silico studies of Farnesol and develop an emulsion containing farnesol targeted at gastroprotective activity in a standardized gastric ulcer induction model. The in silico study investigated the therapeutic action of Farnesol in the treatment of gastric ulcers through molecular docking with specific targets. Our analyses indicated interactions with the COX-2 enzyme, suggesting possible inhibition of this enzyme by Farnesol. We also observed interactions with the M³ muscarinic receptor, TNF-α, and TGF-β. We developed an emulsion containing Farnesol, which exhibited satisfactory physicochemical characteristics with a pH of 6.13 and conductivity of 13.29 µS/cm, enhancing emulsion stability and reducing the risk of phase separation. The average zeta potential was -38.9 mV, and the average particle size of the emulsion was 1133 nm, reducing the likelihood of aggregation and increasing emulsion stability. The in vivo study was conducted with experiments on mice with gastric ulcer induction using an experimental model that employs ethanol as an aggressive agent. The results showed a reduction in lesion size of 43.8%, 42%, and 74.38% at the tested doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, respectively. The research utilized a descriptive methodology. We suggest that Farnesol may present significant anti-inflammatory potential, and we found, through a standardized model, that the emulsion constitutes a therapeutic option for protecting the gastric mucosa.