Fabrication, Optimization and Evaluation of Escin Enriched Emulgel System for Treatment of Varicose Veins

Abstract

Varicose veins, a widespread chronic venous ailment in lower limbs, impact many individuals, causing considerable physical, financial, and social burdens. While surgery is the most effective treatment, its cost hinders personalized care. In the quest for venous-specific therapies, herbal remedies, particularly horse chestnut extract containing escin, are being explored. Escin, a key component, offers anti-inflammatory, anti-edematous, and antioxidant effects. The saponin escin has two forms, α and β, with distinct actions via oral and topical routes. A gel system with permeability enhancers was developed to enhance topical escin’s effectiveness following meticulous pre-formulation and optimization studies. The physiochemical characteristics of emulsion and emulgel system, assay of escin, in-vitro permeation, emulgel studies such as pH, viscosity, spreadability and stability studies are all included in the evaluation part. The 2% escin in the light beige-colored emulgel system was significantly improved permeability when soy lecithin was added. The investigation on permeation enhancement shows that there is 1.5 times more activity than there would be with standard preparation. Escin’s concentration was measured using a UV spectrophotometer and was found to be between 98 and 102%. Studies such as pH, viscosity and spreadability are within the predefined limits. Overall, the developed escin-based emulgel system shows promising results for the management of varicose veins