Formulation and evaluation of a proniosome hydrocortisone gel in comparison with a commercial cream

Proniosomes, a novel drug delivery approach for increasing permeation of hydrocortisone through the skin, were investigated. Proniosome hydrocortisone gel was prepared by a coacervation-phase separation method using different combinations of non-ionic surfactants with cholesterol and lecithin. Proniosome formulations were characterized for vesicle size, entrapment efficiency, and drug content uniformity. Span 20:Span 40, Span 20:Span 60 and Span 20:Span 80 combinations showed good entrapment compared with Span: Tween combinations (Span 20:Tween 40, Span 20:Tween 60, Span 20:Tween 80). In vitro release in 8h from a Span 20:Span 80 proniosome 1% hydrocortisone formulation was high (58.29 %) compared to the other proniosome formulations. Proniosome hydrocortisone gel shows diffusion type release which was confirmed by Higuchi and Peppas plot. In vivo studies in mice confirmed that the proniosome 1% hydrocortisone formulation was more active than a commercially marketed 1% hydrocortisone cream. Topical application of hydrocortisone in the form of proniosomes leads to prolonged action.