Design optimisation and characterisation of films for delivering poorly soluble hydrophobic drugs to wounds

Abstract

Despite advancements in wound management, chronic wounds still fail to heal in an appropriate time and manner. Hydrophobic drugs of interest to the pharmaceutical industry exist that are suggested to reduce inflammation and aid in the wound healing process; however, delivering these drugs poses a challenge both in terms of ease of formulation processing and drug release characteristics when applied in vivo. Naturally occurring, biocompatible, and bioactive excipients, such as hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) and citric acid (CA) are hydrophilic and widely used in wound management and delivery of soluble drugs. However, hydrophobic drugs are not compatible in this environment without the addition of molecules, such as β-cyclodextrin(βCD), which acts as a drug carrier and allows drug delivery. This study investigated the use of CA in formulation development to achieve crosslinking of HEC and βCD to allow the incorporation of poorly soluble model drugs. The prepared films have been characterized for their functional physico-chemical properties relevant for wound healing applications.

Keywords

• beta cyclodextrin
• citric acid
• hydrophobic drug
• hydroxyethlcellulose