Formulation And Evaluation of Acyclovir Nanogel For Topical Delivery

The present study aims to formulate and characterize a nanosuspension of acyclovir. Nanosuspensions were prepared by the precipitation-ultrasonication method, and the effect of important process parameters, i.e, amplitude, different surfactants, and sonication time of 20 min was studied. The shape and size of the particles of all formulations were determined by SEM studies. It was revealed that nanoparticles showed rough and irregular shapes and no agglomeration. The acyclovir nanosuspension incorporated in different topical gels was characterized for pH, spreadability, drug content, viscosity, in vitro drug release, and compared with the marketed preparation. The pH of all formulations was found near skin pH. The in vitro drug release of Acyclovir gel (F7N2) HPMC gel with tween 80 showed 99.5%. The release rate of F7N2 and F7P was compared to marketed acyclovir cream for 6 hours and was found to have no similarity. The results show that tween 80 and DMSO was the best solvent system for preparing acyclovir nanogel and acyclovir nanosuspension. Tween 80 shows the best release in HPMC gelling agent as compared to the marketed and plain powder gel formulation. By the stability studies, it was found that the formulation was stable at room temperature.