Design, Development, and Characterization of Luliconazole-loaded Bilosomal Gel for Enhanced Cutaneous Delivery
Deepak Prashar *
Department of Pharmacy, LR Institute of Pharmacy, Jabli Kyar, Solan (HP), India.
Sarbjot Singh
Department of Pharmacy, Himachal Pharmacy College, Majhauli –Nalagarh, Solan (HP), India.
Anita Devi
Department of Pharmacy, Himachal Pharmacy College, Majhauli –Nalagarh, Solan (HP), India.
Anish Verma
Department of Pharmacy, Amar Shaheed Baba Ajeet Singh Jujhar Singh Memorial College, Bela-Ropar (PB), India.
Navdeep Kaur
Department of Pharmacy, Amar Shaheed Baba Ajeet Singh Jujhar Singh Memorial College, Bela-Ropar (PB), India.
Anuneet Kaur
Department of Pharmacy, Himachal Pharmacy College, Majhauli –Nalagarh, Solan (HP), India.
Ayushi Singla
Department of Prosthodontics, Himachal Dental College, Sundernagar (HP), India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Luliconazole (LZ) is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent whose topical performance is limited by poor aqueous solubility and restricted skin penetration. This study aimed to develop and characterise LZ-loaded bilosomes incorporated into a topical gel to enhance cutaneous delivery. Eight bilosomal formulations were prepared by thin-film hydration using soy phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and Span 80, followed by incorporation of the optimised bilosomal suspension into a Carbopol/HPMC gel. The formulations were assessed for particle size, polydispersity, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, morphology, in vitro drug release, skin permeation, antifungal activity and stability. BLS-6 showed a particle size of 187.45 ± 5.12 nm, a PDI of 0.289 ± 0.042 and an entrapment efficiency of 86.34 ± 3.21%. The vesicles showed spherical, well-defined morphology without noticeable aggregation or visible drug crystals. At 24 h, BLS-6 released 71.23 ± 3.45% of the encapsulated drug, compared with 94.12 ± 2.89% from the free drug. Skin permeation flux was 45.23 ± 2.89 μg/cm²/h versus 18.67 ± 1.45 μg/cm²/h for the control gel. The bilosomal gel showed MIC values of 2.5, 3.1 and 2.8 μg/mL against Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, respectively. After 8 weeks, drug retention was 91.34 ± 2.45% at 25°C/60% RH and 85.67 ± 3.12% at 40°C/75% RH. These findings support further evaluation of the LZ-loaded bilosomal gel as a controlled topical delivery system.
Keywords: Luliconazole, bilosomes, transdermal delivery, antifungal, skin permeation