Abstract
Topical keratolytic agents such as benzoyl peroxide (BP) and salicylic acid (SA) are
one of the common treatments for inflammatory skin diseases. However, the amount of
drug delivery through the skin is limited due to the stratum corneum. The purposes
of this study were to investigate the ability of fish oil to act as penetration enhancer
for topical keratolytic agents and to determine the suitable gelator for formulating
stable fish oil oleogels. 2 types of gelling agents, beeswax and sorbitan monostearate
(Span 60), were used to formulate oleogels. To investigate the efficacy of fish oil
oleogel permeation, commercial hydrogels of benzoyl peroxide (BP) and salicylic acid
(SA) were used as control, and comparative analysis was performed using Franz diffusion
cell. Stability of oleogels was determined by physical assessments at 20°C and 40°C
storage. Benzoyl peroxide (BP) fish oil oleogels containing beeswax were considered
as better formulations in terms of drug permeation and cumulative drug release. All
the results were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05, ANOVA) and it was
concluded that the beeswax-fish oil combination in oleogel can prove to be beneficial
in terms of permeation across the skin and stability.
Key words
fish oil - penetration enhancer - oleogel - anti-inflammatory
