European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

MICROEMULSION FORMULATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF NABUMETONE FOR TOPICAL DELIVERY

Abhinandan Kushwaha* and Dr. Archana Bagre

ABSTRACT

This research developing a transdermal delivery system, two primary criteria are achieving
adequate flux across the skin and minimizing the lag time in skin permeation. Transdermal drug delivery systems
facilitate the passage of therapeutic quantities of drug substances through the skin into the general circulation,
enabling systemic effects. This method of topical administration offers advantages over other methods, such as
avoiding hepatic first-pass metabolism and related toxicity effects, controlling the rate of delivery, and modulating
the distribution of the drug in the systemic circulation. A transdermal delivery system using a microemulsion can
be particularly effective. Microemulsions are composed of non-irritating, pharmaceutically acceptable ingredients.
They can be prepared by the water titration method, using oleic acid as the oil phase, tween-20 as the surfactant,
and propylene glycol as the co-surfactant. The selection of oils, surfactants, and co-surfactants is critical to
ensuring good solubility and excellent skin penetration of the drug, such as piroxicam. Oleic acid is especially
advantageous due to its dual mechanistic scenarios as a skin permeation enhancer: lipid fluidization and lipid
phase separation. As a model skin permeation enhancer, oleic acid facilitates penetration into the skin by
disrupting the fluidity of the stratum corneum. The thermodynamic activity of the drug in the formulation is a
significant driving force for the release and penetration of the drug into the skin.

Keywords: Transdermal delivery system, Adequate flux, Skin permeation, Lag time, Topical administration, Systemic effects and Hepatic first-pass metabolism.