Formulation and evaluation of tenoxicam ethosomes as a novel drug carrier

The aim of this study is to create an alcohol-based tenoxicam gel for transversal delivery. Tenoxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory BCSII drug with low solubility and high permeability. It is prepared thermally using alcohol, phospholipids and ethanol. Alcosomes are phospholipid- based elastic nanoparticles containing high levels of ethanol (20-45%), which is known to be highly accessible. Ethanol systems are more effective at delivering the speed and depth of medication to the skin than liposomes or hydroalcoholic solutions. FTIR studies show that there is no interaction between the drug and the additive. Formulation F8 (ethanol 30% v/v and lecithin 1% w/w) was selected as the best formulation due to its small size, encapsulation efficiency, low turbidity, and highest in vitro release. A 3-month stability study was carried out on the F8 formulation using Carbopol 934 base (1,1.5, 2% w/w) at two different temperatures, 25°±2°C and 4°±2°C. The maximum in vitro release rate of carbomer concentration in rat skin at 1.5% w/w is 95.06 ± 0.15%, and the in vitro release rate is 86.65 ± 0.38%.