چکیده (انگلیسی):

The purpose of the present investigation is to formulate and evaluate proniosomal transdermal
carrier systems for flurbiprofen. Proniosomes were prepared using various non-ionic surfactants, namely
span 20 (Sp 20), span 40 (Sp 40), span 60 (Sp 60) and span 80 (Sp 80) without and with cholesterol at
percentages ranging from 0% to 50%. The effect of surfactant type and cholesterol content on drug
release was investigated. Drug release was tested by diffusion through cellophane membrane and rabbit
skin. Drug release from the prepared systems was compared to that from flurbiprofen suspensions in
distilled water and HPMC (hydroxypropylmethylcellulose) gels. In case of Sp 20 and Sp 80, the added
amount of cholesterol affected the preparation type to be either proniosomal alcoholic solutions or liquid
crystalline gel systems. On the other hand, both Sp 40 and Sp 60 produced gel systems in presence or
absence of cholesterol. Microscopic observations showed that either proniosomal solutions or gel
formulations immediately converted to niosomal dispersions upon hydration. Due to the skin permeation
barrier, rabbit skin showed lower drug diffusion rates compared to cellophane membrane. The
proniosomal composition controlled drug diffusion rates to be either faster or slower than the prepared
flurbiprofen suspensions in HPMC gels or distilled water, respectively. In conclusion, this study
demonstrated the possibility of using proniosomal formulations for transdermal drug delivery.