Title:Designing, Optimising, and Assessing a Novel Emulgel Containing Minoxidil for Controlled Drug Release, Incorporating Marine-based Polymers
Volume: 22
Issue: 2
Author(s): Flowerlet Mathew and A. Mary Saral*
Affiliation:
- Department of Chemistry, School of Advanced Sciences, VIT University, Vellore, India
Keywords:
Emulgel, chitosan, formulation, fucoidan, minoxidil, design-Expert.
Abstract:
Objective: This study aimed to develop an emulgel containing minoxidil as a drug for hair
growth promotion in diseases, such as androgenetic alopecia, using gelling agents, such as chitosan and
fucoidan.
Methods: In this study, gelling agents were selected for the emulgel formulation. By various evaluation
tests and through optimization, the chitosan-fucoidan combination was selected as the gelling agent
for the preparation of emulgel using various evaluation parameters.
Results: X2, the best emulgel formulation, contained 2.54 % chitosan and 0.896 % fucoidan. Chitosan
prolonged the duration of drug release, and controlled release was obtained. Fucoidan increased
the gelling activity, water absorption rate, and stability of the formulation. In this study, the X2 formulation
showed the highest percentage of drug release at the 12th hour. It was found to be 99.7%, which
followed the zero-order release model.
Conclusion: Owing to the wide range of biological activities of fucoidan, the loaded active substance
can be protected, and at the same time, its potency can be improved, resulting in effective
treatment. Because fucoidan has diverse properties and potential, it will be widely used in the biomedical
and pharmaceutical industries in the future.
