Bilosomes as Promising Nanovesicular Carriers for Improved Transdermal Delivery: Construction, in vitro Optimization, ex vivo Permeation and in vivo Evaluation

PURPOSE: The goal of this research was to enhance the transdermal delivery of lornoxicam (LX), using nanovesicular carriers composed of the bile salt sodium deoxycholate (SDC), soybean phosphatidyl choline (SPC) and a permeation enhancer limonene. METHODS: Thin-film hydration was the technique employed for the fabrication using a Box–Behnken design with three central points. The investigated factors were SPC molar concentration, SDC amount in mg and limonene percentage (%). The studied responses were percent entrapment efficiency (%EE), particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP), and in vitro drug release (after 2, 10 h). In order to obtain the optimum formula, numerical optimization by Design-Expert® software was used. Electing the optimized bilosomal formula was based on boosting %EE, ZP (as absolute value) and in vitro drug release, taking in consideration diminishing PS and PDI. Further assessment of the selected formula was achieved by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), stability testing, ex vivo skin permeation and deposition. The in vivo pharmacodynamics activities of the optimized formula were examined on male rats and mice and compared to that of the oral market product. RESULTS: The optimized bilosomal formula demonstrated to be nonirritant, with noticeably enhanced anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities. Superior in vivo permeation was proved by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). CONCLUSION: The outcomes demonstrated that bilosomes could improve transdermal delivery of lornoxicam.