Fuente: PubMed "essential oil" Drug Dev Ind Pharm. 2026 Aug 19:1-24. doi: 10.1080/03639045.2026.2721400. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTEssential oils have potential biological activities, but they are volatile and have poor stability, which limits their use in orally administered pharmaceuticals; therefore, the purpose of this research was to develop and characterise a controlled-release oral suspension of Borago officinalis L. essential oil designed using an alginate chitosan in situ gel system. GC-MS analysis of the essential oil found that its primary components were diacetone alcohol (62.42%), fenchone (8.60%), and hexanal (4.12%), all of which together comprise over 70% of the composition of the oil. The DPPH assay demonstrated that the essential oil had antioxidant activity. Preliminary disc diffusion screening showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. An extended-release oral suspension was formulated from both sodium alginate and chitosan as the primary gel-forming polymers, which allowed for in situ gelling under gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. The system produced has been shown to exhibit shear-thinning characteristics and acceptable levels of viscosity, as well as an extended release of the essential oil contained therein. Therefore, the alginate-chitosan in situ gelling solution is a valid option for the long-term oral delivery of Borago officinalis L. essential oil through a pharmaceutical approach to oral medication.PMID:42619386 | DOI:10.1080/03639045.2026.2721400