Rutin–phospholipid complex in polymer matrix for long-term delivery of rutin via skin for the treatment of inflammatory diseases

Abstract

The drug with poor oral bioavailability necessitates the development of novel carrier for efficient drug delivery. This paper reports the rutin-phospholipid complex in polymer matrix for sustained delivery of rutin via the skin for the treatment of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. Rutin in phospholipid complex (RNPs) are better soluble and permeable than the free rutin. The RNPs-loaded polymeric matrix patch with moderate adhesiveness was developed for convenient means of long term drug application on the skin. The patch was analysed for physicochemical properties, ex vivo skin permeability and in vivo efficacy in rat paw oedema model. The skin targeting efficacy was analysed by CLSM study. Optimized formulation (F2) showed 31 ± 2.32% and 26.56 ± 5.52% skin permeation at 24 h across excised rat skin and human cadaver skin, respectively. The sustained anti-inflammatory effect of the patch formulation in rat paw oedema model confirmed its unique in vivo efficacy over the conventional diclofenac gel. The CLSM study confirmed the localization of RNPs in the dermis for sustained anti-inflammatory effect. Our results suggest that the developed patch has a potential for long term site specific delivery of rutin in arthritic patients.