Transdermal Delivery of Acyclovir Sodium Via Carbopol Gels: Role of Chemical Permeation Enhancers

The effective management of the cutaneous herpes simplex virus infections with acyclovir sodium (ACV) is limited due to reduced availability of ACV at the basal epidermis. The present research focused to improve the transcutaneous permeation of ACV from carbopol gels with different chemical permeation enhancers (dimethylsulfoxide, dlimonene, sodium taurodeoxycholate). The ex-vivo permeation was carried out using excised rat abdominal skin. The extent of ACV accumulated in the rat skin layers was also estimated and found to be higher with gel based formulations compared to reference formulation. Further, the irritancy test and histological studies were carried out to understand the mechanism of ACV permeation across stratum corneum. The improvement in the transcutaneous permeation assessed from steady state flux, permeability coefficient and enhancement ratio were significantly enhanced with gel formulations compared to reference formulation. In conclusion, research findings reveal the potential of carbopol gels for maximizing the therapeutic benefit in herpes virus infections.