Abstract

The present work reports formulation development and evaluation of a topical gel of Lornoxicam (0.5% w/w) a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug is a potent inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 using different gelling agents and different penetration enhancers. The gels were formulated using gelling agents like Carbopol 974 and Poloxamer 407. Various penetration enhancers/solubilizers like Cremophore RH 40, DMSO and Transcutol P and variation in their concentration was studied for their effect on the drug release profiles, permeation enhancement and flux values of the gels. The gels were evaluated for pH, clarity, viscosity, drug content, in vitro and ex vivo diffusion studies. The finalized formulations were evaluated for caregennan induced rat paw edema to demonstrate anti-inflammatory effect. The final gel prepared with Poloxamer 407 and Transcutol P showed excellent aesthetic appeal. Viscosity and pH were well within the acceptable range. In vitro and ex vivo diffusion study of formulations prepared using Transcutol P and Poloxamer 407 showed drug release of 68.45% and 76.69% respectively at the end of 5 hours. Rat Paw edema corroborated with the in vitro and ex vivo diffusion. A significant difference (p<0.5), was seen in the finalized Poloxamer based formulation as compared to placebo gel for a duration of 4 hours.