Phytochemical and therapeutic evaluation of cypress oil-loaded nanoemulgel

Abstract Cypress oil was analyzed using GC-MS, revealing α -pinene (50.72%) and 3- β -carene (27.57%) as the major constituents. An optimized nanoemulsion (droplet size 105.28 ± 2.12 nm, PDI 0.112 ± 0.016) was incorporated into a carbopol hydrogel to form a stable nanoemulgel with a zeta potential of –33 mV. The nanoemulgel exhibited enhanced antioxidant activity, with an IC 50 of 6.6 ± 0.13 μg ml −1 , compared to 14.7 ± 0.3 μg ml −1 for the oil alone. It demonstrated potent antimicrobial activity against multiple bacterial strains, with inhibition zones of 11–36 mm, and antifungal activity against Candida albicans (16–24 mm). Strong anticancer effects were observed against Hep-G2 (IC 50 39.81 μg ml −1 ), MCF-7 (IC 50 58.88 μg ml −1 ), and HeLa (IC 50 61.65 μg ml −1 ) cells, along with anti-fibrotic activity on LX-2 cells (IC 50 63.09 μg ml −1 ). Selective COX-2 inhibition was also confirmed (IC 50 13.96 μg ml −1 ). These findings highlight that cypress oil-loaded nanoemulgel effectively enhances the biological activities of cypress oil, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic platform for managing infections, inflammation, and cancer.