Development of ionic liquid microemulsion for transdermal delivery of a chemotherapeutic agent

Abstract

Nowadays skin cancers have become a major area of concern because of the continuous exposure to sun rays (UV rays). Hence, the present work focused on the synthesis of an innovative 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) microemulsion as a topical delivery system mainly used to treat various forms of skin cancer. The topical administration of most of the active compounds is impaired by limited skin permeability due to the presence of skin barriers. In this sequence, the microemulsion represents a cost-effective and convenient drug carrier system that successfully delivers the drug to and across the skin. Unfortunately, 5-FU reveals high toxicity and low tumor affinity became inefficient for patients with the risk of serious side effects. For decreasing of eluding some of its disadvantages we made it more effective by preparing its microemulsion with tween 80 (surfactant), isopropyl alcohol (co-surfactant), oleic acid (oil) in a four-component system. This study emphasized increasing the drug release by multiple times and a topical gel has been formulated and designs to elongate the drug release. All preparation of 5-FU microemulsion was characterized by physicochemical and drug release studies. The size of the 5-FU microemulsion was 550–600 nm confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Zetasizer. The clear microemulsion was prepared at pH 5–6. It shows viscosity in the limit of 13.52–18.23 Pa s. The outcome of the present work is satisfactory for skin cancer treatment.

New Insights in Topical Drug Delivery for Skin Disorders: From a Nanotechnological Perspective

“…The prepared microemulsion gel formulation exhibited enhanced permeation, increased flux, and drug infusion into goat and human cadaver skin with lower irritation than that for free 5-FU. Hence, this microemulsion could be employed as a potential drug carrier system in various forms of skin cancer for future applications . El-Gogary et al encapsulated oleuropein within a microemulsion formulation to increase oleuropein’s permeation efficiency for treating skin disorders like psoriasis.…”

Unlocking the Anticancer Potential of Ionic Liquids

“…Egorova et al [65] conducted a study to evaluate the potential influence of common imidazolium ILs on the activity of well-known anticancer agents, mitoxantrone and doxorubicin, both of which are recognized for their cytotoxic effects and intrinsic ionic properties. The cytotoxicity was assessed using CaCo-2 cells, a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line, which served as the biological model to evaluate Additionally, another study reported that IL-in-oil microemulsions (IL/O MEs) improved the solubility and transdermal delivery of the sparingly soluble drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) [66]. 5-FU microemulsions (5 %) were formulated in three batches with different ratio, denoted as ME1, ME2, and ME3.…”

“…Additionally, another study reported that IL‐in‐oil microemulsions (IL/O MEs) improved the solubility and transdermal delivery of the sparingly soluble drug, 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) 66. 5‐FU microemulsions (5 %) were formulated in three batches with different ratio, denoted as ME1, ME2, and ME3.…”

Perspective Chapter: Microemulsion as a Game Changer to Conquer Cancer with an Emphasis on Herbal Compounds

“…Thus, in this case they are being incorporated into microemulsion for improving the permeability of the drug. So that it can produce its anti-cancer activity [68]. 5-fluorouracil is being studied by many of the researchers by incorporating them into a microemulsion for rehabilitation of skin cancer [69].…”