TOPICAL GEL AS DRUG DELIVERY AGENT: A CONCISE REVIEW

Sudhir, Navneet Kaur, Vivek and Sweety Birla*

ABSTRACT

Topical drug delivery is defined as the application of dosage form to the skin for direct treatment of skin disorder or the skin manifestation of the disease with the intent of confining the pharmacological or other effect of the drug to the surface of the skin. Topical drug delivery systems include a large variety of pharmaceutical dosage form like semisolids, liquid preparation, sprays and solid powders. Most widely used semisolid preparation for topical drug delivery include gels, creams and ointments. A gel is a cross-linked polymer network swollen in a liquid medium. Its properties depend strongly on the interaction between solid state polymer and the liquid component. Gels exhibit no steady-state flow. The clinical evidence indicates that topical gel is a safe and effective treatment option for use in the management of skin related disease and used for local action to reduce the side effects associated with other conventional dosage form .This review is concern with all detail information regarding advantages, disadvantages, structure of skin, methods of preparation desirable properties of gels and gellants.

Keywords: Topical gel, polymer, skin, gellants.