Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
18. ULUSLARARASI İSTANBUL BİLİMSEL ÇALIŞMALAR KONGRESİ, İstanbul, Türkiye, 28 - 30 Aralık 2025, ss.1, (Özet Bildiri)
Astaxanthin is a carotenoid found in microalgae, crustaceans, marine organisms, as well as bacteria and yeast. (1,2,3) Due to its molecular structure, it is more bioactive than other carotenoids in the same family. (4) It possesses a broad spectrum of biological activity, primarily anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, and immunomodulatory effects. Additionally, it has anti-aging, UV protection, and wound-healing effects on the skin. (1,4) Its biochemical properties make it attractive to researchers. (5) However, astaxanthin has low bioavailability and low water solubility, as well as a high melting point and poor stability, and these properties limit its use. (6) Therefore, auxiliary delivery systems play an important role in increasing and improving properties such as stability and bioavailability. (7) Transdermal delivery systems offer advantages such as increased skin permeability, increased drug concentration and stability of the active molecules in the target area, protection of the molecule from degradation, and reduction and prevention of unwanted side effects. (8,9) The most commonly used systems are liposomes, ethosomes, and transethosomes. Liposomes struggle to pass through the stratum corneum layer due to their size and structure, while transethosomes cause skin irritation due to the surfactants in their structure and may result in drug concentration losses during the formulation process. However, thanks to the ethanol in their structure, ethosomes can easily pass through the skin barrier and allow the drug molecule to be used in a more active and stable manner. (10,11,12) Ethosomal carrier systems were developed by Touitou and his team and are lipid-based carrier systems consisting of ethanol, phospholipids, and water. (13) The high ethanol content in the structure of the ethosome affects the intercellular region of the stratum corneum, helping various drugs to pass through the skin in high amounts, effectively, and easily. The ethanol in the structure of the ethosome interacts synergistically with the polar head group of lipids, reducing the transition temperature of lipids in the stratum corneum, increasing their fluidity, and reducing the multilayer density of lipids, thereby facilitating the penetration of the drug into the layers of the skin. (14) This project aims to pioneer the synthesis of astaxanthin-loaded ethosome formulations and elucidate their biological activity, thereby creating a new treatment alternative that can be used in various diseases. In vitro experiments conducted for this purpose showed no toxic effects of astaxanthin on cells. Within the scope of this study, synthesis and storage methods, such as different amounts of soy lecithin and ethanol and different mixing times, were optimized to obtain ethosomes suitable for transdermal use. In this regard, different formulation and process conditions were evaluated, and appropriate parameters for synthesis and subsequent stages were determined.