Studies on Nanoparticulate Based Topical Novel Drug Delivery System for the Treatment of Fungal Skin Infections

Abstract

The effectiveness of an antifungal agent to cure skin mycoses depends on the amount of newlinedrug retained in stratum corneum and the time period of its persistence. The skin represents newlinea barrier and there is a need of effective drug delivery system to surpass this barrier. The newlinesolid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) favor an intimate contact of drug with the stratum corneum newlinelipids owing to its small size leading to higher partitioning of drug into the skin. There is a newlinepossibility of higher degree of skin deposition leading to greater localization of drug and newlineprolongation of drug residence time. This could lead to targeting of antifungal drug newlineaccompanying improved bioavailability. Additionally, solid lipid nanoparticles are newlinefabricated by physiologically similar, non toxic and non-irritant lipids and surfactants. newlineHence, the solid lipid nanoparticulate formulation was selected to investigate its potential newlinefor topical delivery of an antifungal agent, miconazole nitrate to treat skin mycoses. newlinePreformulation studies for the selected drug, miconazole nitrate (MZN) was accomplished newlineby examining the physical appearance, performing the identification tests (melting point newlinedetermination, UV spectrophotometry, IR spectrophotometry), determination the drug newlinesolubility and preparing the standard curves. Preformulation studies confirm the newlinecompliance of drug with pharmacopoeial standards. The MZN exhibited solubility in newlinemethanol, DMF, DMSO and formic acid. The standard curve of drug was prepared in newlinemixture of methanol and saline phosphate buffered solution at 272 nm. A straight line with newlinecorrelation coefficient, R newline2=0.999 was obtained. The equation of line was found to be y = newline0.006x+0.006. Screening of solid lipid excipient to solubilize MZN was observed visually newlinein six molten lipids i.e., beeswax, cetostearyl alcohol, glyceryl monostearate, tristearin, newlinestearic acid and hard parrafin wax. MZN was found to have maximum solubility in newlinetristearin. BBD was used as experimental design to formulate MZN laden SLN comprising newlineof 4 independent variables,