Formulation and Evaluation of Anti‑Inflammatory Cream by Using Moringa oleifera Seed Oil

Background: Natural oils have a variety of pharmaceutical applications. They can be used in the preparation of a formulation which is beneficial as addictives and also pharmacological agents. One of such medicinally important plants is Moringa oleifera. Objective: The current investigation mainly focuses on the development of anti‑inflammatory cream using Moringa seed oil and its pharmacological evaluation. Materials and Methods: The oil was extracted from Moringa seeds using cold pressing technique and then subjected to phytochemical screening which revealed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, and flavonoids. Various creams were prepared with alkali saponification of free fatty acids present in the oil to get o/w type of emulsion type cream. Various physicochemical tests such as the determination of viscosity, pH, irritancy, dye test, and accelerated stability studies were performed for the prepared creams. Results: Of all the creams, the formulation MF4 prepared with 500 mg potassium hydroxide was suitable for all acceptable characteristics of o/w type emulsion type of cream. The in vitro diffusion studies were carried out using Franz diffusion cell. The extracted oil was also subjected to various characterization studies such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry, and high‑performance thin‑layer chromatography. The ex vivo anti‑inflammatory activity was carried out using heat‑induced hemolysis and protein denaturation techniques. Whereas in vivo anti‑inflammatory activity was performed on male Albino rats using paw edema technique. A significant 70% reduction in paw edema was observed. Conclusion: Thus, the current research reveals the novel formulation with traditional Moringa oil having anti‑inflammatory potency.