Spanlastics gel-A novel drug carrier for transdermal delivery of glimepiride

Abstract

Glimepiride (3rd-generation sulfonylurea) is used for treatment of type 2 diabetes, but its oral administration has been associated with severe gastric disturbances such as nausea, vomiting, heartburn, anorexia, haemolytic anaemia. Accordingly, the transdermal route may represent a potentially suitable alternative. This work investigates the usefulness of a novel drug carrier system for transdermal application. The system investigated were called spanlastics gels and constituted span 60 with edge activator (tween 60 or tween 80). Spanlastics gel has been introduced as a stable form alternative to the liquid formulations of spanlastics. Spanlastics gels were prepared by coacervation phase separation method. Entrapment efficiency and size of spanlastics vesicles produced from the hydration of spanlastics gels were characterised. In vitro release and skin permeation of glimepiride from various spanlastics gel formulations were investigated across mixed cellulose membrane and excised rabbit skin. The obtained results indicated that the maximum entrapment efficiency was 65.36% when the tween 60 content was 30%. The drug release and permeation were increase as the concentration of edge activator increased. Spanlastics gel prepared with Tween 80 at concentration 50% showed higher permeability and flux value (248.69 µg/cm²and 8.31 µg/cm².h, respectively) through rabbit skin.

Keywords:

• Spanlastics gel
• glimepiride
• edge activator
• transdermal drug delivery

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Correction

Correction Statement

This article was originally published with errors, which have now been corrected in the online version. Please see Correction (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08982104.2022.2122146)

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Dr Aya M. Dawaba, associate professor of pharmaceutics, Faculty of pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo,Egypt for her assistance in this article.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.