Ciclopirox delivery into the human nail plate

Area of Science:

• Dermatology and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background:

• Onychomycosis is a common fungal infection of the nail.
• Effective delivery of antifungal agents into and through the nail plate is crucial for treatment success.
• Ciclopirox is a widely used antifungal agent, but its nail penetration can be formulation-dependent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the nail penetration of ciclopirox from different topical formulations.
• To evaluate the impact of formulation type and ciclopirox concentration on drug delivery into and through the human nail.

Main Methods:

• Three different ciclopirox formulations were tested: a marketed gel (0.77%), an experimental gel (2%), and a marketed lacquer (8%).
• Human nail samples were dosed for 14 days.
• Quantification of unabsorbed drug on the surface, drug within the nail, and drug penetration through the nail was performed.

Main Results:

• The marketed gel demonstrated significantly greater ciclopirox delivery into and through the nail compared to the experimental gel and lacquer (p < 0.05).
• The nail lacquer resulted in higher amounts of unabsorbed drug on the nail surface.
• The marketed gel achieved higher drug penetration into and through the nail, yielding a superior Calculated Efficacy Coefficient.

Conclusions:

• The formulation of topical ciclopirox significantly influences its permeation into and through the human nail plate.
• The concentration of ciclopirox within the formulation was not a determining factor for nail penetration.
• Marketed gel formulation offers superior delivery of ciclopirox for potential onychomycosis treatment.