English

Abstract

A niosome based topical gel of adapalene was developed and characterized for the treatment of mild acne. Adapalene is a thirdgeneration topical retinoid primarily used in the treatment of mild-moderate acne. Niosomes containing adapalene were prepared by lipid film hydration technique using nonionic surfactants (span 60) and cholesterol at different concentrations. All the niosomal formulations were evaluated for FTIR studies, entrapment efficiency, optical microscopy, stability studies, invitro drug release study, and zeta potential analysis. Then the optimized niosomal formulation was used for formulating topical gel consisting of carbopol 934. All the formulations were tested for physical properties, in-vitro drug release and skin irritation test. The result suggests that in all the prepared niosomal formulations as the surfactant concentration increases the entrapment efficiency increases. Lower the cholesterol concentration higher the entrapment efficiency in span 60 formulations. The size of niosomes was found to be uniform and spherical in shape. The entrapment efficiencies of all formulation were calculated. The IR spectral analysis suggested that there was no interaction between the drug and formulation excipients. The drug content was in the range of 95.04±0.57 to 90.68±0.39. The in- vitro release data was calculated using franz diffusion cell. The percentage drug release of all the formulations was in the range of 68.3 to 46.1. Korsmeyer peppas model indicated that the drug permeation from the niosomal gel followed diffusion and super case ІІ transport. The skin irritation results showed no specific irritation on the skin of rats. Niosomal gel of adapalene offer a promising avenue to fulfill the need for topical drug delivery system that can localize and maintain drug activity at the site of action for a longer period of time thus allowing a sustained