AN OVERVIEW: EMULGEL AS A NOVEL TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

Priyanka Raj G.*, Chandana A.G., Kavya B.S., Madhu R. and Sinan Arafat K.

ABSTRACT

Topical drug delivery system is a convenient mode of drug delivery for the treatment of localized skin infection, along with that recently the new approaches are also improving systemic effects. They are generally used as an antiseptic, antifungal, skin emollients and protecting agents. Topical medications are available in many dosage forms such as creams, ointments, paste, gels and lotions. But these dosage forms may have the drawbacks of stickiness, lesser spreading coefficient, irritation, poor penetration properties. To overcome these problems, recently new concept of emugel has been developed with the main aim of delivering the hydrophobic drugs. Emulgel is the combination of emulsion and gel base, they show controlled release of drug due to the combination effect of emulsion and gel. Gels having various advantages like non-greasy and better patient compliance but limited to deliver the hydrophobic drugs. So that emulgels comes to favour to avoid the demerits of gels. Emulgel deliver the hydrophobic drug molecules in controlled manner and possess the various advantages of being thixotropic, greaseless, easily spreadable, bio-friendly, transparent and pleasing appearance. So emulgels can be better semi solid dosage form than other conventional dosage form.

Keywords: Topical drug delivery, Emulgel, antiseptic, antifungal, skin emollients hydrophobic.