European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

DESIGN AND STATISTICAL OPTIMIZATION OF NORFLOXACIN NANOPARTICULATE LOADED pH SENSITIVE DROPPABLE GEL FOR OCULAR DRUG DELIVERY

Senthil Kumar Kannan*, Dhachinamoorthi Duraisamy and Yajaman Sudhakar

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present study was to design and optimized pH sensitive nanoparticulate droppable gel (NPDG) for extended drug release for the treatment of bacterial infection in the eye. Intially norfloxacin loaded eudragit-RLPO nanoparticles were fabricated by using a solvent displacement technique followed by freeze-drying technique. The developed freeze dried nanoparticles was evaluated for particle size, PDI, zeta potential, TEM, XRD, and drug entrapment efficiency. Consequently, the best formulations of nanoparticle (D1) were dispersed into the pH-triggered droppable gel base. A total of nine formulations was prepared as per 32 full factorial design (Design expert 10.1) using two different factors (X1, X2) of carbopol 934P HPMC K-100M with low level (-1), medium level (0), high level (+). The prepared nanoparticulate droppable gel (NPDG) was evaluated for pH, clarity, gelling capacity, gellation time, mucoadhesive strength, rheological characters, zone of inhibition and In vitro drug release. The response value was statistically analyzed using ANOVA and optimized formulation (NE1) showed a particles size range of 124.25±3.5 nm and zeta potential value 25.3±1.3 mV clearly indicated that nanoparticle were stable and uniformly dispersed in a gel base. The optimized formulation showed gellation time (140sec), viscosity of physiological condition (1024cps) and good mucoadhesive strength (14.32 gm). In vitro drug release (NE1) showed drug release 70.25% at the end of 6 hr and followed Higuchi’s non-fickian diffusion mechanism. All of these results suggested that nanoparticulate droppable gel can be used as potential carrier for ophthalmic application.

Keywords: Norfloxacin, Design expert, Nanoparticulate droppable gel, Particle size, Viscosity.