FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF INVASOMES GEL OF TOLNAFTATE FOR EFFECTIVE FUNGAL TREATMENT
Afzal Husain Khan, Bhupendra Tiwari, V.P. Gupta
ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate Tolnaftate-loaded invasomes incorporated into Carbopol 934-based gel formulations for enhanced topical drug delivery. Tolnaftate invasomes were prepared by the mechanical dispersion technique, and the encapsulation efficiency and vesicle size were evaluated for various formulations. The formulation F4 exhibited the highest entrapment efficiency of 76.65±0.32% with a vesicle size of 220.23±0.15 nm, making it the optimized invasomal formulation. The gel formulations (IG-1, IG-2, IG-3) were characterized for viscosity, pH, drug content, extrudability, and spreadability. The IG-2 formulation showed optimal characteristics with a viscosity of 3150±12 cps, pH of 6.68±0.18, and high drug content of 99.45±0.16%. The in vitro drug release study of the optimized gel formulation (IG-2) showed a sustained release profile, with 98.78±0.11% cumulative drug release after 12 hours. Regression analysis indicated that the drug release followed a zero-order release model (R² = 0.987), demonstrating controlled and constant drug release. The results suggest that the Tolnaftate-loaded invasomal gel is an effective formulation for sustained and controlled topical drug delivery, offering potential for improved therapeutic efficacy in fungal infections.
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