Enhancement of Transdermal Delivery of an Antidiabetic Drug via Proniosomal Gel Entrapment

Conventional drug delivery systems frequently fail to provide optimal therapeutic outcomes due to poor bioavailability, fluctuating plasma drug concentrations, systemic adverse effects, and reduced patient compliance. To address these limitations, novel vesicular drug delivery systems have been extensively explored. Among them, Proniosomal gel has emerged as a promising transdermal delivery system owing to its superior stability, enhanced skin permeation, and sustained drug release properties. Proniosomes are dry, non-ionic surfactant-based formulations that readily transform into niosomes upon hydration, allowing effective encapsulation of both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs. This review highlights the formulation aspects, structural characteristics, mechanism of action, preparation techniques, evaluation parameters, and therapeutic applications of Proniosomal gels. The influence of formulation variables such as surfactant type, cholesterol content, lipid charge, hydration pH, and total lipid concentration is also discussed. By overcoming the stratum corneum barrier, Proniosomal gels offer a patient-friendly and efficient approach for transdermal drug delivery, particularly in the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus.