Abstract
The objective of the present study was to develop and characterize nano-ethanolic liposomes (NEL) for transdermal delivery of ibuprofen (IBU). The NEL for transdermal delivery of IBU were prepared by thin film hydration technique and evaluated for vesicle size, shape, entrapment efficiency, transdermal flux, and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity in Wistar rats. The NEL optimized formulation (NEL-Opt) presented vesicle sizes of 32.85 +/- 1.98 nm and entrapment efficiency of 86.40 +/- 0.55% with improved transdermal flux. The presence of ethanol and flexibility of NEL could be the reasons for better permeation enhancement of IBU via rat's skin. In vivo antiinflammatory study of IBU-loaded NEL-Opt gel showed significant reduction (41.18%) of edema in carrageenaninduced rat paw edema as compared to conventional gel of IBU, where reduction of edema was found to be 12.50%. Our results suggest that developed NEL formulations are efficient systems for transdermal IBU delivery against inflammation. The stability study confirmed that the NELOpt gel formulation was considerably stable at refrigerator temperature. Our results concluded that NEL are an efficient carrier for transdermal delivery of IBU.