Development of tea tree oil-loaded liposomal formulation using response surface methodology

The aim of this study is to prepare tea tree oil liposome (TTOL) and optimize the preparation condition by single factor experiment and statistical design. TTOL was prepared using a thin-film hydration with the combination of sonication method and the preparation conditions of TTOL were optimized with response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal preparation conditions for TTOL by response surface methodology were as follows: the mass ratio of PC and Cho 5.51, TTO concentration 1.21% (v/v) and Tween 80 concentration 0.79% (v/v). The response surface analysis showed that the significant (p<0.05) second-order polynomial regression equations successfully fitted for all dependent variables with no significant (p>0.05) lack of fit for the reduced models. Furthermore, the interaction of the mass ratio of PC/Cho and TTO concentration had a significant effect. The amounts of Tween 80 required were also reduced with RSM. Under these conditions, the experimental encapsulation efficiency of TTOL was 97.81 +/- 0.33%, which was close with the predicted value. Therefore, the optimized preparation condition was very reliable. The increased entrapment efficiency would significantly improve the TTO stability and bioavailability.