A Novel Apremilast Nail Lacquer Formulation for the Treatment of Nail Psoriasis.

The objective was to prepare a novel nail lacquer formulation to improve the ungual and trans-ungual delivery of apremilast for the potential treatment of nail psoriasis. Nail lacquer formulation was prepared using Eudragit® S 100 as a film-forming polymer and the mixture of ethanol, ethyl acetate, and water as a solvent system. As a result of high-throughput screening studies, dexpanthenol and salicylic acid were found to be the potential penetration enhancers.

Trans-ungual Delivery of AR-12, a Novel Antifungal Drug.

AR-12 is a novel small molecule with broad spectrum antifungal activity. Recently, AR-12 was found to be highly active against Trichophyton rubrum, one of the predominantly responsible organisms that cause onychomycosis. The primary objective of this project was to investigate the ability of AR-12 to penetrate into and across the human nail plate followed by improving its trans-ungual permeation using different penetration enhancers.

Iontophoresis for drug delivery into the nail apparatus: exploring hyponychium as the site of delivery.

In present studies, a hyponychium pathway (from ventral side of the nail plate) was investigated as a potential route of drug delivery into the nail apparatus using iontophoresis as an active physical method. In vitro transport studies were performed across the human nail plate using sodium fluorescein as a marker substrate for 24 h. After transport studies, the amount of sodium fluorescein extracted from an active diffusion area of the nail plate in case of iontophoresis was found to be ∼54-folds more to that of passive.

Delivery of ziconotide to cerebrospinal fluid via intranasal pathway for the treatment of chronic pain.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the plausibility of delivery of ziconotide to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) via intranasal administration. Ziconotide was administered either in the form of solution or Kolliphor P 407 gels (KP 407) intranasally in Sprague-Dawley rats. The effect of incorporation of chitosan in the formulation was also investigated.

Emerging therapies for the treatment of ungual onychomycosis.

Introduction: Onychomycosis, a common fungal infection in the finger and toe nails, affects approximately 2-8% of the worldwide population. Fungal infection is more complicated in those who suffer from conditions, such as diabetes, peripheral vascular diseases and compromised immune diseases.

Area Covered: Onychomycosis treatment has been classified on the basis of location of infection in the toes and fingers and infectious agents (dermatophytes fungi, yeast and non-dermatophyte molds).

Trans-ungual delivery of itraconazole hydrochloride by iontophoresis.

Itraconazole (ITR) is a potent antifungal drug. However, poor aqueous solubility limits its permeation ability across the human nail plate. Therefore, in this project, ITR was converted to hydrochloride salt (ITR-HCl) to improve its solubility and to render it amenable to iontophoresis.