Title:Development, Pre-clinical Investigation and Histopathological Evaluation of Metronidazole Loaded Topical Formulation for Treatment of Skin Inflammatory Disorders
Volume: 11
Issue: 1
Author(s): Divya Thakur, Gurpreet Kaur*, Sheetu Wadhwa and Ashana Puri
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala (Punjab), 147002,India
Keywords:
Inflammation, metronidazole, microemulsion, nano-formulation, psoriasis, skin disorders.
Abstract:
Background: Metronidazole (MTZ) is an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent with
beneficial therapeutic properties. The hydrophilic nature of the molecule limits its penetration
across the skin. Existing commercial formulations have limitations of inadequate drug concentration
present at the target site, which requires frequent administration and poor patient compliance.
Objective: The aim of the current study was to develop and evaluate water in oil microemulsion of
Metronidazole with higher skin retention for the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders.
Methods: Pseudo ternary phase diagrams were used in order to select the appropriate ratio of surfactant
and co-surfactant and identify the microemulsion area. The selected formulation consisted
of Capmul MCM as oil, Tween 20 and Span 20 as surfactant and co-surfactant, respectively, and
water. The formulation was characterized and evaluated for stability, Ex vivo permeation studies
and in vivo anti-inflammatory effect (carrageenan induced rat paw edema, air pouch model), anti-psoriatic
activity (mouse-tail test).
Results: The particle size analyses revealed the average diameter and polydispersity index of the selected
formulation to be 16 nm and 0.373, respectively. The results of ex vivo permeation studies
showed statistically higher mean cumulative amount of MTZ retained in rat skin from microemulsion,
i.e., 21.90 ± 1.92 μg/cm2, which was 6.65 times higher as compared to Marketed gel (Metrogyl
gel®) with 3.29 ± 0.11 μg/cm2 (p<0.05). The results of in vivo studies suggested the microemulsion
based formulation of MTZ to be similar in efficacy to Metrogyl gel®.
Conclusion: Research suggests the efficacy of the developed MTZ loaded microemulsion in the
treatment of chronic skin inflammatory disorders.