biostudies-literatureUnknown16Pereira DT<i>Passiflora setacea</i> seed oil is a natural source of bioactive unsaturated fatty acids, notably linoleic acid (ω-6) and oleic acid (ω-9), with promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential for dermatological applications. However, its direct use is limited by poor physicochemical and organoleptic properties. This study aimed to develop and optimize a topical microemulsion (ME) system incorporating <i>P. setacea</i> seed oil using quality by design principles to address formulation challenges. The oil was extracted via Soxhlet and characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and thermal analysis. A full factorial design, followed by a Box-Behnken design, was employed to optimize the formulation based on critical quality attributes and the defined quality target productBeilstein journal of nanotechnology2116-2131https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12642947biostudies-literatureQuality by design optimization of microemulsions for topical delivery of <i>Passiflora setacea</i> seed oil.PMC12642947Aragao CFSde Souza MLde Araujo GRSSapin-Minet APorto DLCosta AMOliveira WNAlencar ENPereira DTFreire DTDourado DEgito ESTfalseQuality by design optimization of microemulsions for topical delivery of <i>Passiflora setacea</i> seed oil.<i>Passiflora setacea</i> seed oil is a natural source of bioactive unsaturated fatty acids, notably linoleic acid (ω-6) and oleic acid (ω-9), with promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential for dermatological applications. However, its direct use is limited by poor physicochemical and organoleptic properties. This study aimed to develop and optimize a topical microemulsion (ME) system incorporating <i>P. setacea</i> seed oil using quality by design principles to address formulation challenges. The oil was extracted via Soxhlet and characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and thermal analysis. A full factorial design, followed by a Box-Behnken design, was employed to optimize the formulation based on critical quality attributes and the defined quality target product2025-01-01T00:00:00Z20252026-06-06T06:50:40.615Z2026-06-06T03:06:48.367ZS-EPMC126429474129344910.3762/bjnano.16.146