Formulation and Evaluation of Ciprofloxacin Ethosomal Gel for Microbial Infections.

The present study is to develop and evaluate an ethosomal gel formulation of ciprofloxacin. It aims to provide a topical treatment for many bacterial infections that affect the skin. Administration of medications topically having the facility of delivering a high concentration of the drug to the skin than would be possible with systemic therapy. Topical administration of drugs is better for local action and the efficiency of the topically administered drug is increased with liposome, proliposomes and ethosomes. Recently, it was found that ethosomal carriers were phospholipid vesicular systems having relatively high concentrations of alcohol, enhances dermal and transdermal delivery of both lipophilic as well as hydrophilic molecules. Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride is a second-generation antibiotic and a BCS class II drug. Ethosomes were formulated using phospholipid, cholesterol, ethanol, polyethylene glycol and purified water by cold method. Ethosomes were evaluated for vesicle size, shape, optical microscopy, entrapment efficiency and in-vitro release study. F4 have better drug entrapment efficiency than the other formulation. The best formulation (F4) was used to prepare gel by using carbopol 934 as a gelling agent. The ethosomes were entrapped in gel matrix of carbopol 980 in different concentration 0.5%, 1.00% and 2% w/w. FT-IR studies revealed no interaction between the drug and excipients. The formulated gel formulation was evaluated with parameter pH, viscosity, spreadability, in-vitro release test, wash ability, extrudability study and stability studies. The formulation EGF2 have better in-vitro drug release profile which contains carbopol 980 concentration 1%w/w. the stability studies performed (EGF2) at refrigeration temperature (4.0±0.2°C), at room temperature (25-28±2°C) and 45±1°C for 45days. These ethosomes were unstable at higher temperature like 45.2°C. Percent efficiency of ethosomes also decrease at higher temperature like 4502°C. The present work also focuses on making the formulation more pharmaceutically acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]