Development and characterization of a gel formulation integrating microencapsulated nitrofurazone

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Nitrofurazone (NTZ) is a topical antimicrobial agent for skin and mucosal infections.
• Microencapsulation offers prolonged release and protection for active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize NTZ-loaded microparticles using sodium alginate for pharmaceutical applications.
• To evaluate the encapsulation efficiency and physical properties of the microparticles.

Main Methods:

• NTZ was encapsulated in sodium alginate microparticles via ionotropic gelation.
• Characterization included SEM, FTIR, TGA, DSC, and rheological analysis of the gel formulation.
• Encapsulation efficiency and particle size were determined.

Main Results:

• The ionotropic gelation method yielded NTZ-loaded calcium alginate microparticles with ~97.8% encapsulation efficiency.
• Microparticles displayed an oval shape with hydrodynamic diameters of 500-800 μm.
• Thermal and FTIR analyses indicated minimal NTZ-polymer interaction, suggesting favorable drug release.

Conclusions:

• The developed microparticles are suitable carriers for NTZ in topical pharmaceutical formulations like gels and ointments.
• The high encapsulation efficiency and favorable release characteristics support their potential therapeutic use.