In vitro Dynamics of Ibuprofen Incorporated Proniosomal Gel

Aim: The research was aimed to encapsulate the ibuprofen with proniosomal gel and facilitate ibuprofen release in sustained manner for sustained drug release. Methods: Different proniosomal gels of ibuprofen were formulated with Span 20/Span 80 and soya lecithin using the method described in literature. In all formulations cholesterol concentration was kept constant. The prepared proniosomal gels were evaluated for chemical incompatibility by FT-IR, vesicle size analysis, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro drug permeation and in vitro drug release kinetics were performed. Results: The principal absorption peaks of ibuprofen were retained in the proniosomal gels indicating that there was no interaction between ibuprofen and excipients. Vesicular diameter markedly depended on the type of the non-ionic surfactant used. As the outer diameter depends on the HLB value of surfactant, the vesicular diameter was less for proniosomes prepared using Span 80 (low HLB). The encapsulation efficiency was more for the proniosomal gels prepared using Span 20. Proniosomal gel prepared using Span 80 showed higher flux across the membrane due to its leaky membrane. The order of ibuprofen release from the proniosomal gel was PN2>PN4>PN1>PN3. Conclusion: The optimized proniosomal gel formulation PN3 containing Span 20 exhibited prolonged ibuprofen release profiles. Fickian diffusion mechanism was observed with the PN3 formulation which was due to the sustained release property. The results indicated that the proniosomal gel would be an effective transdermal delivery system for ibuprofen.