Microsponges Loaded Topical Drug Delivery System for the Effective Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease associated with severe joint pain. Herein, we report aceclofenac (ACF)-loaded cellulosic microsponge gel formulation with sustained anti-inflammatory effects that are required to manage arthritic pain. The microsponges were formulated using quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method. The optimized formulation was dispersed into Carbopol gel. Further, the optimized formulation was evaluated for pH, viscosity and spreadability, drug content, and kinetic drug release profile. The optimized microsponges loaded topical gel showed R2 value of 0.9930 which was nearest to one which revealed that formulation obeyed Higuchi kinetic model and n value was found to be 0.48 which depicts Fickian transport of drug diffusion. The prepared optimized formulation showed no signs of irritation when applied on hairless skin of rats along with inhibitory effect on inflammation was observed in in vivo studies in animals, hence, ACF-loaded topical drug delivery is considered as a potential platform for the management of RA.