Preparation and characterization of liposomes containing methanol extract of aerial parts of Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco

Objective:Platycladus orientalis or Thuja orientalis is a native plant of Iran different parts of which are used in the treatment of various diseases such as: gout, rheumatoid arthritis, common cold, cough, bronchitis, asthma, high blood pressure and hormonal disorders like hirsutism and baldness. Also, various organs of this species have been used as appetizer. The purpose of this study was to prepare and characterize liposomal formulations that contain methanol extract of aerial parts of P. orientalis for hirsutism treatment. Material and Methods: Plant’s leaves were dried in room temperature, and powdered by grinding. Then, methanol extract was prepared by maceration method. Liposomes containing mathanol extract were produced by two methods of fusion and solvent evaporation. To evaluate mathanol extract and encapsulation efficiency of liposomes, quercetin was chosen as standard. The amount of quercetin in samples was determined by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Results: Mean size of liposomes prepared by solvent evaporation and fusion methods was 373 and 320 nm, respectively. According to the quercetin concentration, encapsulation efficiency of liposomes containing menthanol extract was 69.3±3.1% for solvent evaporation and 62.2±4.9% for fusion method.  Conclusion: In the current study, a suitable liposomal formulation was prepared. The pharmacological activity of these carriers should be evaluated in the future study.