ABSTRACT:
The purpose of the present study was to develop and investigate the suitability of lecithin organogel formulations for topical delivery of erythromycin (EM) in order to improve its chemical stability and in vitro drug release. Organogels containing 3% wt/wt of EM were prepared using pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant (lecithin) and isopropyl myristate (IPM) and subjected to physical studies (appearance, pH, sprediability and viscosity). The In vitro skin permeation from lecithin organogel, hydrogel and marketed cream was investigated using Keshary-Chien diffusion cell. The safety of optimized organogel was determined using histopathological investigation. The in vitro skin permeation study data showed that organogel significantly increased EM release as compared to hydrogel and marketed cream (Okamycin, Cipla Ltd.). The drug release from these formulations were in the following order, (lecithin-IPM organogel > hydrogel> marketed cream). Incorporating the drug in to lecithin- IPM organogel resulted in enhanced chemical stability of EM. The stability of EM was in the order of organogel > hydrogel> marketed cream. The histopathological investigation using rat’s abdominal skin demonstrated that the formulation is safe for dermatological purpose. Thus the present lecithin based organogel appears beneficial for topical delivery of EM in terms of easy preparation, safety, stability and low cost.