Transdermal delivery of anti-fungal drug using elastic liposomes

Abstract

Present study was aimed at exploring transdermal delivery of anti-fungal drug griseofulvin by means of elastic liposomes, which are adequately flexible to cross the intact skin barrier. The ultradeformable vesicles were prepared by the use of soyabean phosphatidylcholine (SPC) with Sodium cholate used as surfactants in a ratio (w/w) of 84:16. Elastic liposomes were characterized for shape and size by transmission electron microscopy. The amount of griseofulvin permeated through rat skin was found to be about 4 times higher in case of elastic liposomes as compared to conventional liposomes. The ultradeformable vesicles showed a transdermal flux of 40.7±1.9 μg/h/cm2 which was significantly higher (p<0.05) as compared to conventional liposomal formulation (16.05±1.06 μg/h/cm2) and free drug solution (4.3± 0.8 μg/h/cm2). The results suggested that elastic liposomes can be employed for sustained transdermal administration of griseofulvin. Keywords: Elastic liposomes; griseofulvin; Transdermal delivery.