Development, Characterization and in Vitro–In Vivo Evaluation of Farnesol Loaded Niosomal Gel for Applications in Oral Candidiasis Treatment

Abstract

The aim of the study was to formulate and characterize the farnesol loaded niosomes comprising gel formulation and their in vitro–in vivo evaluation for applications in the treatment of oral candidiasis infections. Various gelling systems were evaluated for their stability and rheological properties. The nano-formulation was statistically optimized using Box-Behnken experimental design method. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the surface morphology of the niosomes. Centrifugation method and dialysis method were used to find out the % entrapment efficiency (%EE) and in-vitro release of Farnesol from the niosomes, respectively. In-vitro antifungal effect of the Farnesol loaded niosomal gel was also performed using Candida albicans (C. albicans) as the model organism. The skin irritation study was performed on rabbit skin. Farnesol loaded niosomes were integrated into polymeric gel solution. The optimized formulation displayed acceptable % entrapment efficiencies (>80%) and an optimum particle size (168.8 nm) along with a sustained release up to 3 days and was found to be stable over a period of 6 months. TEM observation revealed a spherical shape morphology of the niosomes. The high antibacterial efficacy found in vitro, after treatment with the farnesol niosomal gels in comparison with the plain farnesol solution. For skin irritation test, niosomal gel formulation was found to be nontoxic and non-irritant to the rabbit skin. The resultant formulation demonstrated promising in-vitro biocompatibility and antifungal efficacy, signifying their potential application as a gel preparation to overcome candida infections caused by C. albicans fungal strains. This novel formulation can be employed for making oral candidiasis healing process more efficient while improving patient compliance.