Design and Evaluation of Nanocarrier Embedded Hybrid Hydrogels for Topical Delivery of Hydrophobic Molecules

Menopause is a substantial event in women’s life as it significantly impacts their physiological and psychological wellbeing. As menopause commences, oestrogen and progesterone hormone productions are greatly reduced due to ovarian follicle depletion, resulting diverse symptoms e.g. vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes, osteoporosis), psychological symptoms (anxiousness, depression, excitation, irritability, mood swings), and physical symptoms (fatigue, insomnia, vertigo, tachycardia, weight gain, muscle & joint ache, breathing problem, vaginal dryness, bladder control problem) [1, 2]. Despite 2- to 4-folds higher chance of having clinical symptoms [3], which reduces quality of life in many women [4], hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) for postmenopausal women are often neglected, especially in developing countries like Bangladesh. Until now, no HRT formulations are produced locally or imported despite having over 80 million women population and well-established local pharmaceutical companies (which exports medicines to many European countries). The typical HRT in menopause is oestradiol (E2). There are many E2 formulations available worldwide for HRT, chiefly as hydrogels or as transdermal patches. The hydrogels between immediate release hydrogels and sustained release patches.