Preparation and Characterization of Caffeine Loaded Liposome and Ethosome Formulations for Transungual Application

Objectives: Nail plates have a structure that prevents transungual delivery of active agents. This situation makes it difficult to treat nail diseases. Materials and Methods: In this study, CF-loaded liposome and ethosome formulations were prepared for ungual application. Formulations were characterized by size, microscopic observation, pH, and entrapment efficiency measurements. The effects of formulations and experimental conditions on nails were tested with characterization of nails before and after ex vivo permeation experiments. Results: Microscopic observation confirmed the presence of spherical-structured vesicles. The particle sizes of vesicles were found as 545.3 +/- 0.121 nm, 610.2 +/- 0.943 nm, 349.5 +/- 0.145 nm and 337.9 +/- 0.088 nm for liposomes (FI-FII) and ethosomes (FIII-FIV), respectively. The polydispersity index of particles was found under 0.5, and the pH of formulations was around 7. The encapsulation efficiency was found low due to the hydrophilic character of CF. Nail characterization studies showed that the experimental conditions had an effect on the nail plate. Conclusion: The cumulative amount of drug after ex vivo permeation studies was found higher for ethosomes than for liposomes. The results confirm that liposomal systems could be promising systems for ungual drug delivery.