In vitro and ex vivo assessments of surfactant-free topical curcumin emulgel

Abstract

Curcumin has been used in many diseases due to its high therapeutical potential in recent years. Although curcumin is a frequently used natural polyphenolic compound products, its low solubility and poor permeability limits the dermal efficacy of curcumin. Emulgels are a new generation of semi-solid formulations that combine the advantages of both emulsions and gels. The biggest limitation of emulsions is surfactant related irritation problems caused by the use of high amount of surfactants. In this study, it was aimed to increase the skin permeability of curcumin by developing surfactant-free emulgel formulations. In the study, emulgels were developed by Carbopol 940 gels as the aqueous phase, olive oil and curcumin methanol solution as the oil phase. No surfactant was used additionally to show the stabilizing effect of Carbopol in emulgels. The emulgel formulations were subjected to physicochemical characterization by means of organoleptic properties, pH, rheological and mechanical properties. Mechanical properties were carried out by texture profile analyzes to determine the structure related properties such as hardness, compressibility, adhesiveness, cohesiveness and elasticity. The spreadability of the formulations was also determined with Texture Analyzer. Obtained emulgels showed good rheological, mechanical and spreadability properties. The transdermal permeation of the chosen emulgel was studied ex vivo against hydrogel prepared with the same amount of Carbopol. The emulgel formulation significantly increased transdermal permeation compared to the hydrogel. This emulgel formulation successfully passed from stress tests. As a conclusion, the novel surfactant-free emulgel formulation was successfully developed to increase curcumin permeation through the rat skin.

The Preparation of Curcumin-Loaded Pickering Emulsion Using Gelatin–Chitosan Colloidal Particles as Emulsifier for Possible Application as a Bio-Inspired Cosmetic Formulation

“…There are several reports available in the literature on the entrapment of curcumin in the classical emulsions, as well as in the Pickering emulsions [ 10 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. These studies have mostly focused on the efficiency of the emulsions as a delivery vehicle for the release of curcumin into cells/tissues, which includes its dermal applications.…”

“…The results indicated that a higher concentration of PGPR reduced the affinity between curcumin and the emulsion, thereby facilitating the release of curcumin through the Fickian mechanism. Furthermore, Ergin et al has reported the fabrication of a surfactant-free emulgel formulation of curcumin through the use of Carbopol 940 gels as the aqueous phase, and the use of an olive oil and curcumin methanol solution as the oily phase [ 44 ]. The obtained emulgels showed good mechanical, rheological, and spreadability properties, and also increased the transdermal permeation of curcumin.…”