CHARACTERIZATION, EVALUATION OF CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY ASSAY AND OPTIMIZATION OF NANOEMULSION DELIVERY SYSTEM FORMULAS OF TOMATO LYCOPENE (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM. L)

FARIDA RAHIM; HENNY LUCIDA; VALDY FILANDO SARDI; FRIARDI ISMED; ANDANI EKA PUTRA

doi:10.22159/ijap.2025.v17s1.11

Authors

FARIDA RAHIM Doctoral Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Andalas, Padang, West Sumatera-25163, Indonesia, Faculty of Pharmacy, Perintis University, Padang, West Sumatera-25586, Indonesia
HENNY LUCIDA Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Andalas, Padang, West Sumatera-25163, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1816-990X
VALDY FILANDO SARDI Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Andalas, Padang, West Sumatera-25163, Indonesia, The Laboratory of Natural Resources of Sumatra (LBS), Universitas Andalas, Padang, West Sumatera-25163, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3655-5963
FRIARDI ISMED Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Andalas, Padang, West Sumatera-25163, Indonesia, The Laboratory of Natural Resources of Sumatra (LBS), Universitas Andalas, Padang, West Sumatera-25163, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6200-7502
ANDANI EKA PUTRA Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, Padang, West Sumatera-25163, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22159/ijap.2025.v17s1.11

Keywords:

Tomato, Lycopene, Nanoemulsion, Cell viability, Physicochemical properties

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of tomato lycopene, quantify its bioactive fraction, and formulate tomato lycopene into nanoemulsions.

Methods: Lycopene was fractionated using chloroform and purified using methanol. Tomato lycopene was identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, with the content determined using thin-layer chromatography-densitometry. Cytotoxicity was assessed in T47d, DU145, and HeLa cells using the MTT assay. The composition of the oil phase (Virgin Coconut Oil), surfactant (Tween 80), cosurfactant (PEG 400), and the aqueous phase of the nanoemulsion base was determined using a pseudo ternary phase diagram. Tomato lycopene was added to the oil phase and mixed with other components by spontaneous titration. The nanoemulsions were characterized by determining droplet size, zeta potential, Poly Dispersity Index (PDI), transmittance, pH, density, and morphology using transmission electron microscopy.

Results: Needle-shaped crystals were obtained, with a retention factor of 17.32 min, m/z 535.4316 (calculated for C₄₀H₅₆), and maximum wavelengths of 457, 484, and 517 nm. The bioactive fraction (chloroform) comprised 866.68 mcg/ml lycopene. Increasing lycopene concentration was inversely proportional to T47d, DU145, and HeLa cell viability after 96 h of incubation. Six of the 54 base formulations produced transparent solutions (droplet size: 14.10–500.50 nm). Incorporating 0.1% tomato lycopene into the base generated physically stable nanoemulsions with spherical droplets exhibiting the following features: particle size, 13.37–82.52 nm; zeta potential, (-12.4)–(-5.66) mV; PDI, 0.0813–0.4247; transmittance, 96.18–99.14%; pH, 5.49–6.40; relative density, 1.049–1.067.

Conclusion: Tomato lycopene showed weak citotoxic on T47d, DU145, and HeLa cell line. Six nanoemulsions with good physicochemical properties were obtained as transparent yellow solutions. The optimized lycopene nanoemulsion formulation (TLN6) was confirmed at the compisition of 0,1% lycopene, 7% VCO, 50,4% Tween 80 and 12,6% PEG 400.

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