Permeability-Enhanced Liposomal Emulgel Formulation of 5-Fluorouracil for the Treatment of Skin Cancer

• Published in: Gels Vol. 9; no. 3; p. 209
• Main Authors: Pachauri, Ankur, Chitme, Havagiray, Visht, Sharad, Chidrawar, Vijay, Mohammed, Nawaj, Abdel-Wahab, Basel A, Khateeb, Masood Medleri, Habeeb, Mohammed Shafiuddin, Orabi, Mohamed A A, Bakir, Marwa B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-03-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: 5-fluorouracil; Additives; Bioavailability; Biocompatibility; Blistering; Blisters; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Care and treatment; Cell cycle; clove oil; cytotoxicity; Dermatologic agents; Dermatology; Effectiveness; Electron microscopy; Entrapment; Essential oils; Eucalyptus; eucalyptus oil; Excipients; Fluorouracil; Formulae, receipts, prescriptions; Formulations; Fourier transforms; Infrared spectroscopy; Irritation; liposomal emulgel; Liposomes; Permeability; Skin cancer; Skin care products; Spectrum analysis; Surfactants; Toxicity; India; 5-fluorouracil; skin cancer; clove oil; eucalyptus oil; liposomal emulgel; cytotoxicity
• ISSN: 2310-2861; 2310-2861
• DOI: 10.3390/gels9030209

The plain 5-fluorouracil (5FU) formulations available in the market are associated with adverse effects such as skin irritation, pruritus, redness, blisters, allergy, and dryness on the site of application. The objective of the present study was to develop a liposomal emulgel of 5FU with increased skin permeability and efficacy using clove oil and eucalyptus oil along with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, excipients, stabilizers, binders, and additives. A series of seven formulations were developed and evaluated for their entrapment efficiency, in vitro release profile, and cumulative drug release profile. The compatibility of drugs and excipients, as confirmed by FTIR (fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) as well as SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and TEM (transmission electron microscopy) studies, revealed that the size and shape of liposomes are smooth and spherical, and the liposomes are non-aggregated. To understand their efficacy, the optimized formulations were evaluated for cytotoxicity using B16-F10 mouse skin melanoma cells. The eucalyptus oil and clove oil-containing preparation significantly produced a cytotoxic effect against a melanoma cell line. The addition of clove oil and eucalyptus oil increased the efficacy of the formulation by improving skin permeability and reducing the dose required for the anti-skin cancer activity.