Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Formulation and permeation kinetic studies of flurbiprofen gel

Rao Khurram Ayoub¹, Ghulam Murtaza² , Muhammad Imran¹, Shujaat Ali Khan², Sadullah Mir³, Abida Kalsoom Khan³, Saira Azhar², Zahid Mehmood³, Ashif Sajjad³, Syed Nisar Hussain Shah¹

¹Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan; ²Department of Pharmacy, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad; ³Institute of Biochemistry, University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan.

For correspondence:- Ghulam Murtaza Email: gmdogar356@gmail.com Tel:+23142082826

Received: 6 May 2014 Revised: 27 December 2014 Published: 28 February 2015

Citation: Ayoub RK, Murtaza G, Imran M, Khan SA, Mir S, Khan AK, et al. Formulation and permeation kinetic studies of flurbiprofen gel. Trop J Pharm Res 2015; 14(2):195-203 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v14i2.2

© 2015 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the in vitro permeation and drug release kinetics of flurbiprofen gel.

Methods: Thirteen batches (G₁, G₂ … G₁₃) of flurbiprofen gels were prepared using different ratios of permeation enhancers, i.e., propylene glycol (PG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), by response surface methodology (RSM). Viscosity, pH, spreadability, consistency and drug content of the flurbiprofen gels were measured. Permeation experiments were conducted using silicone membrane in a modified Franz diffusion cell. Permeation parameters determined include diffusion coefficient (D), Flux (J), lag time (tLag), permeation coefficient (Kp), input rate (IR) and enhancement ratio (ER). Primary skin irritation test was performed for the optimized gel, G₃, using 11 human volunteers.

Results: Maximum solubility (72.15 ± 0.02 mg/mL) of flurbiprofen was observed in a mixture (2:1) of methanol and water. Partition coefficient (K_o/w) was determined as logP = 3.68 ± 0.11. The gels were stable under various storage conditions, and were homogenous, crystalline and transparent. Viscosity, pH, spreadability, consistency and drug content were in the range of 150 – 178 × 10² cps, 5.42 - 5.75, 5.0 - 7.0 g.cm/s, 3.0 - 9.0 mm, and 97.99 - 99.86 %, respectively. No irritation or lesions (erythma, redness and ulceration) occurred in human volunteers over a 30-day period. The optimized formulation, G3, showed maximum flux through silicone membrane.

Conclusion: PG and PEG are effective enhancers of flurbiprofen from various formulations when used in various ratios.

Keywords: Flurbiprofen, Gel, Diffusion, Permeation enhancers, Skin irritation, Silicone membrane