Preparation and characterization of minoxidil loaded nanostructured lipid carrier gel for effective treatment of alopecia

In the present work attempts have been made to prepare the nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) gel, by using minoxidil, which is preferably used in case of Alopecia, i.e. baldness pattern as a effective drug. The nine different formulations of Minoxidil-NLC (NLC1-NLC9) were prepared using solid and liquid lipids with Cholesterol and Soya lecithin in different concentrations by the melt dispersion ultrasonication method. Properties of NLC1-NLC9 such as the particle size and its distribution, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the drug entrapment efficiency (EE), and the drug release behavior were investigated. The nanoparticulate dispersion was suitably gelled and characterized with respect to drug content, pH, spreadability, rheology, and in vitro release. Safety of the NLC-based gel was assessed using primary skin irritation studies. The formulated NLC3 was spherical in shape, with average particle size of 280 nm, zeta potential of -42.40 mV and entrapment efficiency of 86.09%. Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) measurements revealed that imperfect crystallization occurred in the inner core of the NLC particles. The drug release behavior from the NLC displayed a biphasic drug release pattern with burst release at the initial stage followed by sustained release. These results indicated that the NLC3 is a suitable carrier of minoxidil with improved drug loading capacity and controlled drug release properties. It has been observed that NLC gel produces the gel with good consistency, homogeneity, spreadability and rheological behavior. The developed NLC-based gel showed faster onset and elicited prolonged activity up to 16 h. The present study concluded that the NLC-based gel containing minoxidil dissolved in a mixture of solid lipid and liquid lipid in the nanoparticulate form helped us to attain the objective of faster onset yet prolonged action as evident from in vitro release.