Abstract

TRANSFERSOMES LOADED TRANSDERMAL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM OF METHOTREXATE FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Naazneen Surti*, Naimin Parmar, Siddharth Bhadsavle, Vandana Patel

ABSTRACT

Methotrexate is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Transfersomes are highly deformable vesicles and known to have considerable potential as drug carriers for transdermal drug delivery system. The purpose of this study was to develop transfersomes loaded transdermal patch of methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis. The transfersomes were prepared by thin film hydration technique using phosphatidylcholine 95% & sodium cholate. Process parameters like speed of rotation (80 RPM) and vacuum (350-400 mm Hg) and formulation parameters like solvent system (chloroform : methanol), volume of solvent (15 ml), drug to lipid ratio (1:10) and lipid to surfactant ratio (6:4) were optimized. The optimized transfersomes formulation was evaluated for globule size (130 + 3 nm), zeta potential (-29.3 + 2.4 mV), drug entrapment (49.3 + 1.8%) and drug release (94.9 + 2.5% in 6 hrs). The lyophillized transfersomes were added to an acrylic adhesive DURO TAK® 87-4098 to obtain a new hybrid transdermal patch. Patches were optimized on the basis of parameters like thickness, folding endurance, tensile strength, moisture content & in vitro drug release. Thus, the prepared transfersomes loaded patch could prove to be a promising topical drug delivery system in the treatment of RA.

Keywords: Transferosomes, Methotrexate, Acrylic Adhesive, DURO TAK®87-4098.