Nanostructured Lipid Carrier-Incorporated Gel for Efficient Topical Delivery of Fluconazole

Abstract

Background: Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) of fluconazole were prepared to improve permeability and thereby effective topical drug delivery. Materials and methods: NLCs were prepared and evaluated, and then the optimized NLC suspension was incorporated into a gel that was further evaluated for topical drug delivery. Results and discussion: F-2 NLC formulation was optimized based on results of particle size (161.3 ± 1.385 nm), polydispersity index (0.401), zeta potential (-33 ± 0.46), entrapment efficiency (82.26 ± 0.91%) and in vitro drug release (76.40 ± 0.21%). Ex vivo skin permeation studies showed flux of F-2 gel and the comparison marketed gel as 0.21 and 0.18 mg/cm²/h, respectively. The in vitro antifungal study revealed significantly better activity compared with the marketed gel. Conclusion: Fluconazole NLCs increase drug permeability and proved to be effective in topical drug delivery.

Keywords:

• fluconazole
• gel
• hot homogenization
• nanostructured lipid carriers
• topical delivery

Author contributions

A Patil: substantial contributions to the design of the work and drafting the manuscript. V Tuencar: performed lab work and provided data. A Gadad: analysis, or interpretation of data for the work. P Dandagi: final approval of the version to be published. R Masareddy: revised critically for important intellectual content.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Wallace Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, Goa, India, for providing a gift sample of fluconazole. The authors also thank the principal KLE College of Pharmacy, Belagavi, India, and Dr Prabhakar Kore Basic Science Research Centre, Belagavi, India, for providing laboratory facilities.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.