Pluronic P123/DMSO Lyotropic Liquid Crystal for Incorporating Bioactive Substances for Topical Application

Lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) have attracted considerably growing interest in drug delivery applications over the last years. The structure of LLC matrices is complementary to cell membranes and provides an efficient, controlled, and selective release of drugs. In this work, a complex of experimental methods was used to characterize binary LLCs Pluronic P123/DMSO and triple LLC systems Pluronic P123/DMSO/Ibuprofen, which are interesting as transdermal drug delivery systems. Liquid crystalline, thermal, and rheological properties of LLCs were studied. Concentration and temperature areas of the lyomesophase existence were found, and phase transition enthalpies were evaluated. Intermolecular interactions among the components were studied by infrared (IR) spectroscopy. In vitro studies of Ibuprofen (Ibu) release from various LLCs allow differentiation of its release depending on the polymer content. Atomic force microscopy and contact angle methods were used to characterize the surface morphology of the hydrophobic membrane, which was used as a stratum corneum model, and also evaluate the adhesion work of the LLCs. A complex analysis of the results provided by these experimental methods allowed revealing correlations between the phase behavior and rheological characteristics of the LLCs and release kinetics of ibuprofen. The proposed biocompatible systems have considerable potential for a transdermal delivery of bioactive substances.