Development and Characterization of Ofloxacin & Prednisolone Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (Nlc) for Topical Route

Abstract

Aim: The present study was designed to develop and characterize nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) of Ofloxacin and Prednisolone for topical use in case of infections associated with inflammation. Materials and Methods: Ofloxacin was obtained as gift sample from Mankind Pharma Ltd, VillKyarta, P.O. Misserwal, Poonta Sahib, Sir Mour. H.P. Whereas Prednisolone was purchased from Yarrow chem., Mumbai. It was evaluated for its pre-formulation studies (organoleptic properties, melting point, solubility, compatibility, max. wavelength of absorption). NLCs were prepared through melt-emulsification followed by ultra-sonication technique. Further optimized batch of NLCs was incorporated into Gel. Formulated NLCs were evaluated in terms of morphological characteristics, particle size (Polydispersity Index), drug content, In-vitro drug release (using egg membrane), drug release kinetics (Ritger-Peppas diffusion method). Finally, gel containing NLCs was studied by physical characteristics, pH, viscosity, spreadability, drug content, In-vitro drug release and its kinetics. Results and Discussion: In pre-formulation study, drugs were found having the similar properties as described in Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) and United States Pharmacopoeia (USP). SEM photomicrograph revealed that NLCs were spherical with more or less smooth surface; particle size 512.3-1703 nm and PDI- 0.399-0.742 (ofloxacin) and particle size 539.3-1736.7 nm and PDI- 0.335 - 0.711 (prednisolone);drug content was found in range of 56.7 - 75.6% for ofloxacin and 65.9 – 81.8% for prednisolone. NLC1 demonstrated maximum release rate with 83.37±1.70% and NLC8 73.96±0.53%.NLC6 was best fitted in Korsmeyer - peppas model as the regression coefficients were 0.960, 0.964, 0.977, 0.950, 0.980 & 0.987 respectively and prednisolone NLC 9 (0.953) and they were close to 1. Conclusion: In conclusion, the prepared NLCs had prolonged release effects with good potential for topical delivery of NLC based gel formulation of ofloxacin& prednisolone.