The underexplored rich biodiversity in Mauritius has immense potential in health and
wellness, partly due to the reported presence of secondary metabolites and
pluripharmacological properties (Ramjane et al, 2021). Publications on plant extracts
derived from the local endemic and indigenous flora have indicated their ability to
modulate physiological and physiochemical processes. The latter prompts the use of these
plants into value-added products, which can be transformed into highly commercial
outputs. The use of herbal products has successfully maintained healthy skin primarily
due to their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties (Bedi et al., 2002).
Nevertheless, their efficacy can be limited by poor solubility, inadequate molecular size,
resulting in failure of absorption and poor bioavailability (Hafner et al, 2014).
Nanosystems, such as nanoemulsions, have been reported as dermatological carriers that
can readily improve the bioactive release profile, occlusion and dermal permeation while
reducing the toxic and irritant effects compared to other types of emulsions. In view of the
diversity of molecules in the locally available resources and their multifunctional nature
(Ramjane et al., 2021), this project intends to develop stable nanoemulsion of five locally
available food/medicinal plants, exhibiting anti-inflammatory and antibacterial
properties for subsequent incorporation in oil for topical use.
Keywords
Biodiversity,Mauritius,Health and Wellness,Nanosystems,plant extracts,anti-inflammatory,antibacterial
