FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF TOPICAL HERBAL CREAM CONTAINING Tagetes erecta FLOWER EXTRACT WITH DATE SEED OIL FOR ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY

Sruthi Prabha K., Dr. S. V. Rekha, Dr. S. D. Shanmuga Kumar, Fathima Muhsina P. K.*, Mohamed Afeed P. P., Muhammed Hafees V. H., Riswan C. P., Sameeha N. N., Reshma Radhakrishnan P. V.

Tagetes erecta Linn, a member of the Asteraceae family, is a well known medicinal plant used in traditional Indian medicine, as well as in other parts of the world like South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. A wide range of major constituents include thiophenes (antimicrobial), flavonoids like quercetagetin, quercetin, and kaempferol, as well as volatile oils containing (E)-β-ocimene, dihydrotagetone, and tagetone have been reported from various extracts of the flower and leaves of the plant and have shown potential for anti-inflammatory activity, while date seed oil provides emollient, antioxidant, and skin-protective properties. Extraction is mainly done using the solvent (ethanol). In this study, we prepare the topical formulation of anti-inflammatory cream of different formulation by varying the concentration of date seed oil. The formulation contains various excipients like Triethanolamine, Methyl paraben and propylene glycol. The cream was prepared as an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion using appropriate emulsifying and stabilizing agents. The formulated creams were assessed for physicochemical parameters including appearance, pH, homogeneity, spreadability, viscosity, and Washability, all of which were found to be within acceptable limits. In vitro anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by Human red blood cells (HRBC) membrane stabilization method, where the extract exhibited concentration-dependent activity with percentage protection 58.92% at 50 µg/ml concentration, and minimum hemolysis was 37.63% in a hypotonic solution with diclofenac as the control. Tagetes erecta flower extract was made in 4 formulations with variation of date seed oil; Formula I (2ml), Formula II (1.5ml), Formula III (1 ml). Then evaluated by its physical appearance, Washability, homogeneity and grittiness, spreadability, and PH measurement. In-vitro hemolytic studies further confirmed reduced percentage haemolysis with increasing concentrations, indicating good membrane protection and safety. The study concludes that the combination of Tagetes erecta flower extract and date seed oil possesses significant anti inflammatory potential and can be effectively utilized in the development of a safe and natural topical herbal cream.