Proniosomal Powder of Captopril:  Formulation and Evaluation

The aim of the present study was to design a proniosomal drug delivery system of captopril to overcome the limitations of conventional dosage form and to optimize encapsulation parameters to achieve a delivery system suitable for in vitro investigations. Proniosomes are dry powders, which makes richer processing and packing possible. A surfactant coated carrier method was utilized to formulate proniosomal powder containing captopril as a model drug. This system was evaluated in vitro for drug loading, vesicle size, angle of repose, encapsulation efficiency, and stability studies. This method of proniosome loading resulted in 54.16-70.10% of encapsulation. This study examined critical parameters such as type and composition of surfactant. Proniosomes were investigated by transmission electron microscopy for characterization. Four week stability data for proniosomal powder is reported, and at all sampling points significantly higher drug retention was observed. Thus, it can be concluded that the encapsulation of captopril in proniosomes facilitates the controlled release and constitutes a good choice.