Abstract

Husna N. K., Nishad K. M.*, Jaseena P., Shahana, Sirajudheen M. K. and Shijikumar P. S.

ABSTRACT

Acne is a common inflammatory skin condition. It is characterized by scaly red skin, blackheads and white heads, pimples, pustules and nodules. Azelaic acid is a better treatment option for acne. Azelaic acid in a novel carrier system can give better patient compliance than any other conventional methods. The purpose of this study is to design and evaluate Azelaic acid microspheres-based cream for topical treatment of acne. Microspheres were prepared by ionotropic gelation method using sodium alginate as polymer and calcium chloride as cross-linking agent. The microsphere formulations (M1-M3) were evaluated for its particle size and entrapment efficiency. The optimized microsphere formulation (M3) was then incorporated into different cream formulations and further evaluated for its physical appearance, pH, spreadability, drug content and in-vitro drug release study. The results of the evaluation studies shows that the optimized microsphere (M3) is of spherical shape with average particle size range and of having better entrapment efficiency. The optimized microsphere incorporated cream of F5 formulation is better than other formulations. The formulation shows acceptable physical properties with good spreadability, pH and drug content. The in-vitro release study of optimized formulation shows that the drug release is in a controlled manner. The conclusion obtained from this study is that azelaic acid microsphere-based cream is effective controlled release treatment for acne.