Development and characterization of topical gel containing deep eutectic mixture of luliconazole for topical drug delivery system

Tinea infections are one of the most occurring dermatophyte infection in the world and more so in tropical countries. It majorly infect children which may lead to them being segregated and shunned away from the community thereby affecting their psychological state. To prepare topical gel containing deep eutectic mixture of luliconazole heating and dispersion method were utilised, and it comprised several steps. The main focus was to improve the solubility as well as the permeability of the drug as it comes into contact with the skin. Choline bitartrate was used as a hydrogen bond donor (HBD), Gallic acid which is a carboxylic acid was used as a hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA), Carbopol 984NF a carbomer was used as a gelling agent. A combination of choline bitartrate and gallic acid in the ratio expressed by formulation code N3 was used for the final preparation. The final properties of the gel; viscosity, spreadability and the drug release profile of the prepared gel were investigated. The drug release of the prepared formulation was compared to the marketed formulation. 4 formulations were prepared using different ratios of the excipients and the optimized formulations were subjected to characterization. Viscosity of the tablet was controlled by amount of gelling agent used in the manufacturing process. Following FTIR studies, it was found that there were no interaction between the drug and the excipients and that the drug release depended on the type of the excipients used in the formulation. Dispersion method was found to be a suitable, easy and efficient technique for designing Topical gel containing deep eutectic mixture (DEM) for topical use.