Abstract
Vitiligo is a depigmentation disorder of the skin that affect human skin. Piperine (PPR), an alkaloid extracted from black pepper, has activity towards melanocytes proliferation. Topical application is a promising and potential route for such agent. Therefore the current work aimed to develop a new PPR-loaded deformable liposomes (DL) in the presence of sodium deoxycholate (SDC) or Tween 80. These formulations were characterized for their particle size, entrapment efficiency (EE %), stability, and morphology. In addition, ex vivo skin penetration was evaluated. It was found that SDC and Tween 80 played an important role in reducing the vesicle size to nano range. TEM images revealed that DL containing SDC has a spherical shape. Moreover; DL containing SDC enhanced the amount of PPR in SC and deeper skin layers compared to other liposomes. So, PPR loaded DL in the presence of SDC offers a promising carrier for vitiligo through topical application.