Comparison of In Vitro Ibuprofen Release Rates from HPMC and Carbopol® Gels

Topical drug delivery systems have become a critical area of research because of their ability to deliver active pharmaceutical ingredients directly to the target site, thereby reducing systemic exposure and associated side effects. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen are frequently used in these systems for their strong pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, an HPMC gel formulation containing the same amount of ibuprofen (5% w/w) was prepared as an alternative to the market formulation, which is prepared with Carbopol 934® as the gelling agent. The aim was to compare the two formulations in terms of the release rate of the active substance. The study results demonstrated that the HPMC gel containing ibuprofen, formulated as an alternative to the market formulation, meets pharmaceutical criteria in terms of pH, viscosity, appearance, and active ingredient content (90-105%). Furthermore, the release rate of ibuprofen from gel was statistically significantly different compared to the market formulation prepared with Carbopol 934® (p