Transdermal Delivery of Crocin Using Bacterial Nanocellulose Membrane

This work reports the inclusion of crocin (an active agent of saffron) into bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) membrane for transdermal drug delivery. The BNC showed good uptake of the crocin based on the swelling studies and vibrational peaks of the FTIR spectra. Surface morphology of the crocin loaded BNC showed that the fibrous nano feature was still intact with no fiber damages. The crocin release via direct dissolution showed typical burst release. Franz diffusion test revealed stable and prolong drug permeation. Partition coefficient of the BNC-crocin via mice epidermal skin diffusion was found to be 2.44×10⁻⁴ cm⁻² min⁻¹ with the average mass flux of 0.53 cm⁻² min⁻¹. This facile method of utilizing BNC for the carrier of crocin can be useful for administrating other water soluble active compound. Thus BNC opens up choices for the delivery of crocin for medicinal purposes.