DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF PRONIOSOMAL GEL OF ECONAZOLE NITRATE FOR ENHANCED TOPICAL DELIVERY

Chandhana Krishnan* and Sujith S. Nair

ABSTRACT

The application of topical drug delivery system is gaining momentum due to their adaptability and widespread usability. The feasibility of a proniosomal gel of econazole nitrate for topical delivery has not been widely explored. The present study aims to design and optimize a proniosomal gel formulation of econazole nitrate for enhanced topical delivery in antifungal therapy. Econazole nitrate belongs to the BCS class II with a half-life 4 hours. Econazole nitrate proniosomes were formulated by coacervation phase separation method consisting of span 60, cholesterol and other ingredients. The formulated proniosomes were characterized for various parameters such as entrapment efficiency, vesicle size, in vitro drug release etc. The optimization based on central composite design assessed the effect of varying ratios of span 60 and cholesterol on percentage entrapment efficiency, mean vesicle size and in vitro drug release as responses. Evaluation of the optimized formulation indicated a prolonged release of 12 hours with a higher entrapment efficiency of 95.41% at optimal combination of span 60 and cholesterol in the ratio 6.7:1 and vesicles were found as discrete and spherical. Moreover, the optimized formulation exhibited an excellent antifungal activity characterized by greater zone of inhibition compared to marketed preparation. With sustained drug release and higher entrapment efficiency, proniosomal gel of econazole nitrate could be considered a suitable candidate for enhanced skin permeation, serving improved patient compliance and better therapeutic uses. The present study concludes on the feasibility of econazole-based proniosomal gel in antifungal therapy.

Keywords: Econazole, Proniosomal gel, Span 60, Antifungal-Therapy.