Anticancer and Antibacterial Efficacy of Nanoemulsion of Matricaria chamomilla Essential Oil

Conclusions: Cancers and bacterial infections are significant global public health challenges and economic issues. Nanostructures containing essential oils have been considered a suitable alternative as therapeutic agents. In this study, the chemical composition of Matricaria chamomilla essential oil (EO) as herbal medicine was investigated using GC-MS analysis. β-hymacalene (23%), limonene (10%), azonol (9%), and α-farnesene (9%) were identified as major compounds. Different tween 20 and tween 80 concentrations were screened to prepare an optimum nanoemulsion containing the EO. It showed a circular shape with droplet size and Zeta potential of 135 ± 8 nm and -21 ± 2 mV, and ATR-FTIR confirmed the successful loading of the EO in droplets. In vitro biological assays demonstrated that the nanoemulsion exhibited significant potency with IC50 values of 30, 311, 544, 88, and 213 µg/mL against A-375, A-431, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively, compared to the unformulated EO. These findings prove the merit of the prepared nanoemulsion as a suitable candidate for further research against other types of cancer, various pathogens, and in vivo studies.