Nanoencapsulation Enhances Stability, Release Behavior, and Antimicrobial Properties of Sage and Thyme Essential Oils

Nanoencapsulation Enhances Stability, Release Behavior, and Antimicrobial Properties of Sage and Thyme Essential Oils | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Nanoencapsulation Enhances Stability, Release Behavior, and Antimicrobial Properties of Sage and Thyme Essential Oils Maryam Fakhariha, Amir Abbas Rafati, Amir Daraei Garmakhany, Azam Zolfaghari Asl This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6005386/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 26 May, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The increasing demand for natural bioactive compounds in agriculture, food preservation, and pharmaceuticals has highlighted the need for effective delivery systems to enhance their stability and bioavailability. In this study, we address this challenge by developing and characterizing silica hollow nanospheres (HNSs) and hollow polymer nanocapsules (HPNs) for the encapsulation of essential oils (EOs), specifically those derived from Thyme ( Thymus vulgaris ) and Sage ( Salvia officinalis ). The HNSs were synthesized using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) via a sol-gel process, while urea-formaldehyde HPNs (UF-HPNs) were fabricated through in-situ polymerization. The qualitative encapsulation efficiency, structural integrity, and release behavior of the EOs were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results demonstrated that HNSs, particularly those synthesized via in-situ techniques, exhibited superior size uniformity, higher oil loading capacity (4.18 mg/g), and controlled release performance over 102 days. Adsorption studies revealed that HNSs provided higher adsorption capabilities for Thyme EO, aligning with the Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. Antimicrobial studies revealed that encapsulated Thyme EO exhibited strong antibacterial activity, with MIC values of 4 µL/mL against Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and 2 µL/mL against Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ), while Sage EO required higher concentrations, with MIC values of 8 µL/mL and 4 µL/mL, respectively. Notably, the encapsulation of Thyme EO in HNSs resulted in enhanced antimicrobial performance compared to HPNs, likely due to the porous silica matrix allowing for sustained EO release. The encapsulated EOs also modulated peroxidase enzyme activity, further supporting their potential for biological applications. These findings suggest that HNS-based encapsulation offers a robust and sustainable approach for enhancing the efficacy of natural antimicrobial agents, making them suitable for industrial applications in biopesticides, food safety, and therapeutic formulations. Physical sciences/Chemistry Physical sciences/Chemistry/Environmental chemistry Physical sciences/Materials science Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials Essential oils Nano-encapsulation Silica hollow nanospheres Polymer nanocapsules Antimicrobial activity Controlled release Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementarymaterialR2.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 26 May, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 21 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 20 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 13 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Apr, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 11 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 11 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 30 Mar, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6005386","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":442326904,"identity":"9ce9ac55-bc1a-4d42-af5e-cd10440096f3","order_by":0,"name":"Maryam Fakhariha","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Bu-AliSinaUniversity","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Maryam","middleName":"","lastName":"Fakhariha","suffix":""},{"id":442326905,"identity":"3c15e0f0-b2d8-45c8-b0d7-3d6f949e526c","order_by":1,"name":"Amir Abbas 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Silica hollow nanospheres, Polymer nanocapsules, Antimicrobial activity, Controlled release","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6005386/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6005386/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe increasing demand for natural bioactive compounds in agriculture, food preservation, and pharmaceuticals has highlighted the need for effective delivery systems to enhance their stability and bioavailability. In this study, we address this challenge by developing and characterizing silica hollow nanospheres (HNSs) and hollow polymer nanocapsules (HPNs) for the encapsulation of essential oils (EOs), specifically those derived from \u003cem\u003eThyme\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eThymus vulgaris\u003c/em\u003e) and \u003cem\u003eSage\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eSalvia officinalis\u003c/em\u003e). The HNSs were synthesized using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) via a sol-gel process, while urea-formaldehyde HPNs (UF-HPNs) were fabricated through in-situ polymerization. The qualitative encapsulation efficiency, structural integrity, and release behavior of the EOs were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results demonstrated that HNSs, particularly those synthesized via in-situ techniques, exhibited superior size uniformity, higher oil loading capacity (4.18 mg/g), and controlled release performance over 102 days. Adsorption studies revealed that HNSs provided higher adsorption capabilities for \u003cem\u003eThyme\u003c/em\u003e EO, aligning with the Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAntimicrobial studies revealed that encapsulated \u003cem\u003eThyme\u003c/em\u003e EO exhibited strong antibacterial activity, with MIC values of 4 \u0026micro;L/mL against \u003cem\u003eEscherichia coli\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eE. coli\u003c/em\u003e) and 2 \u0026micro;L/mL against \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eS. aureus\u003c/em\u003e), while \u003cem\u003eSage\u003c/em\u003e EO required higher concentrations, with MIC values of 8 \u0026micro;L/mL and 4 \u0026micro;L/mL, respectively. Notably, the encapsulation of \u003cem\u003eThyme\u003c/em\u003e EO in HNSs resulted in enhanced antimicrobial performance compared to HPNs, likely due to the porous silica matrix allowing for sustained EO release. The encapsulated EOs also modulated peroxidase enzyme activity, further supporting their potential for biological applications.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese findings suggest that HNS-based encapsulation offers a robust and sustainable approach for enhancing the efficacy of natural antimicrobial agents, making them suitable for industrial applications in biopesticides, food safety, and therapeutic formulations.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Nanoencapsulation Enhances Stability, Release Behavior, and Antimicrobial Properties of Sage and Thyme Essential Oils","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-04-14 16:29:47","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6005386/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-04-21T08:09:38+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-04-21T02:45:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-04-13T17:57:33+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"63052436242666662901821586910540491761","date":"2025-04-13T14:47:54+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"46720785796055650344464652646871310132","date":"2025-04-11T11:21:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-04-11T10:54:18+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-04-11T04:54:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-03-30T22:19:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"c9a86ce8-198e-40fd-9d77-fcc1030765cb","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 14th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":47091170,"name":"Physical sciences/Chemistry"},{"id":47091171,"name":"Physical sciences/Chemistry/Environmental chemistry"},{"id":47091172,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science"},{"id":47091173,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-06-02T15:58:18+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6005386","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00022-5","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-05-26 15:56:54","publishedOnDateReadable":"May 26th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-04-14 16:29:47","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-025-00022-5","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00022-5","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6005386","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6005386","identity":"rs-6005386","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}