Lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) have attracted considerably
growing
interest in drug delivery applications over the last years. The structure
of LLC matrices is complementary to cell membranes and provides an
efficient, controlled, and selective release of drugs. In this work,
a complex of experimental methods was used to characterize binary
LLCs Pluronic P123/DMSO and triple LLC systems Pluronic P123/DMSO/Ibuprofen,
which are interesting as transdermal drug delivery systems. Liquid
crystalline, thermal, and rheological properties of LLCs were studied.
Concentration and temperature areas of the lyomesophase existence
were found, and phase transition enthalpies were evaluated. Intermolecular
interactions among the components were studied by infrared (IR) spectroscopy.
In vitro studies of Ibuprofen (Ibu) release from various LLCs allow
differentiation of its release depending on the polymer content. Atomic
force microscopy and contact angle methods were used to characterize
the surface morphology of the hydrophobic membrane, which was used
as a stratum corneum model, and also evaluate the adhesion work of
the LLCs. A complex analysis of the results provided by these experimental
methods allowed revealing correlations between the phase behavior
and rheological characteristics of the LLCs and release kinetics of
ibuprofen. The proposed biocompatible systems have considerable potential
for a transdermal delivery of bioactive substances.