In vitro & in vivo studies on lornoxicam loaded nanoemulsion gels for topical application

The objective of this work was to increase the solubility, in vitro skin permeability of lornoxicam from semisolid topical formulations and also to investigate the in vivo potential of nanoemulsion formulation. Optimized lornoxicam loaded nanoemulsion was prepared successfully by spontaneous self-emulsification method and the size of the stable formulations was found within the range of 102 to 200 nm. The stable nanoemulsion formulations characterized for viscosity, droplet size, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and refractive index. In vitro permeation rate of nanoemulsion and conventional gel of lornoxicam (LX) were determined. Prmeability parameters like steady-state flux (Jss), permeability coefficient (Kp), and enhancement ratio (Er) were significantly increased in nanoemulsion NE8 and the nanogel NG8 as compared to conventional gel (LG). In vivo studies revealed a significant increase in anti-inflammatory effects as compared with conventional gel of LX. The anti-inflammatory effects of formulation NG8 showed a significant increase in percent inhibition value when compared with control, this difference was found to be highly significant (p<0.001). This work shows for the first time that lornoxicam can be formulated into nanoemulsions and may show promise in enhancing solubility and permeation.