Title:Development and Evaluation of Celecoxib Emulgel by Using Natural Oil
Volume: 23
Issue: 2
Author(s): Aarti Rajput, Rishabh Gaur, Mayank Kulshreshtha, Sumedha Singh Jadaun and Vibha Kumari*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Rajiv Academy for Pharmacy, Mathura (U.P.), India
Keywords:
Celecoxib, penetration modifier, essential oils, gelling agent, NSAIDs, emulsion.
Abstract:
Background: Emulgel combines the qualities of an emulsion with those of a gel. In
order to create an emulgel w/o or o/w, emulsions have to be formulated, which are then combined
with a gelling agent, resulting in a dual-control drug release. Celecoxib exhibits analgesic,
antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities and is used to treat osteoarthritis, severe pain,
rheumatoid arthritis, and other medical conditions.
Methods: Celecoxib Emulgel was developed and evaluated by using natural oil and carbopol-
940 as a gelling agent in different concentrations. The screening of various oils, co-surfactants
and surfactants was performed to determine the solubility. The essential oils (eucalyptus oil
and turpentine oil) were used as penetration modifiers. Studies on compatibility with polymers
have been conducted, and the results indicate that there should be no physical or chemical
interactions between the polymers and the drug substance. For the preparation of emulgel,
various emulsions were prepared with Smix (cosurfactant and surfactant) ratios (1:1, 2:1 and
3:1). The selection of a gelling agent was done by incorporating the selected emulsion system
ratio of 1:1 with the combinations of polymers carbapol 940, carbapol 934, and HPMC (0:1:0,
0:0.5:1, 0:0:3, 0.5:0:1, 1:0:0) gel base to make a homogenous emulgel.
Results: The emulgel was examined visually to see if it had any phase behaviour, feel, spreadability,
and grittiness by applying its thin layer to a slide. Then, all six formulations of emulgel
were prepared with the selected gelling agent. All emulgels were evaluated for pH, physical
properties (consistency, homogeneity, colour, texture), drug content, spreadability, extrudability,
swelling index, viscosity, stability and centrifugation. A Franz diffusion cell and an egg
membrane were used to perform
in-vitro drug release.
Conclusion: Among all prepared formulations, EG1 had a better release, higher viscosity,
higher drug content, and a higher swelling index than the others. The formulation EG1 showed
higher drug release (91.25%) within 8 hours.
