Taste masking is critical when developing formulations for paediatric patients. Metronidazole (MTZ) was encapsulated in cubosomal gels to mask its bitter, metallic taste. A cubosomal gel using glyceryl monooleate, oleic acid, Poloxamer 407, and polyvinyl alcohol was developed and optimized using Box-Behnken and I-Optimal designs.The optimized nanocarrier particle size was 34.30 nm, Zeta potential -26.6 mV, polydispersity index 0.152, and entrapment efficiency 38.73%. TEM confirmed the formation of a cubic nanostructure, and FTIR was used to monitor stability. The in vitro release was biphasic, with 14% MTZ released within 5 minutes, followed by sustained release over 12 hours. Diffusion-controlled release was confirmed using Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas models. Effective taste masking was determined using an electronic. The system exhibited satisfactory physicochemical stability at 22 °C, over 4 weeks, with PS, PDI, and ZP remaining within acceptable parameters. The EE decreased from 38.73% to 24.75%, indicating hydrophilic-driven MTZ leakage during storage.The cubosomal gel formulation effectively masks unpleasant taste, sustains MTZ release, and maintains acceptable physicochemical properties at 22 °C for four weeks. The EE requires further optimization. These results suggest that cubosomal encapsulation may be a taste-masking strategy for MTZ. Translation to periodontal applications will require evaluation of mucoadhesion, gingival retention, antimicrobial efficacy, and formulation behaviour in gingival crevicular fluid.
Ndlovu et al. (Sat,) studied this question.