Elastic Bilayer Vesicles of Flurbiprofen for Transdermal Delivery: Development and In-Vitro Characterization

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to develop a novel elastic bilayer vesicle entrapped with Flurbiprofen (FLB) for transdermal use to avoid adverse effect associated with oral administration of the drug. Encapsulation of drug in vesicle prolongs the existence of the drug in the systemic circulation and thus enhances penetration into the target site and reduces toxicity. Method: Niosomes were prepared using surfactants (span 40 and span 60) and cholesterol in the molar ratio of 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 3:2. Vesicles prepared by thin film hydration method were characterized for morphology, vesicle size and zeta potential, thermal analysis and Entrapment Efficiency (EE). Results: Results revealed that the EE and size of niosomes were influenced by surfactant type and cholesterol ratio. F8 (span 60: cholesterol in 3:2) exhibited the highest encapsulation of FLB (76.77 ± 0.55) with vesicle size of 154 ± 2.96 nm and Polydispersity Index (PDI) of 0.09. The optimized formulation F8 was selected for incorporation into the gel. Niosomal gel was evaluated for homogeneity, pH, spreadability and in-vitro drug release. Conclusion: All the parameters of niosomal gel were found to be satisfactory and in-vitro release study revealed prolonged and complete release of entrapped FLB (93.23±0.65%) in comparison to FLB hydrogel (42.65±0.29%). The results suggested that niosomes may serve as promising vehicles for the transdermal delivery of FLB.