Rheological, mechanical, and bioadhesive behavior of hydrogels to optimize skin delivery systems.

Background: Hydrogels are widely used for cutaneous formulations; thereby comparing the bioadhesive properties of polymers with a view to prolong the residence time of topical drugs on the skin would be very useful to design novel topical drug delivery systems.

Aim: The objective of this study was to correlate data from rheological studies and texture profile analysis, with bioadhesion on the skin.

Methods: Polyacrylic acid polymers used were carbomer homopolymer type A (C971) and type B (C974), and polycarbophil (PP) dispersed in water at various concentrations (0.

Rheological, mechanical and adhesive properties of surfactant-containing systems designed as a potential platform for topical drug delivery.

In the last few decades, nanotechnology has led to an advance in the development of topical drug delivery. Nanostructured drug delivery systems enable the compartmentalization of drugs in restricted environments, modifying the release profile and maintaining the required drug concentration for prolonged periods at the site of action and/or absorption. The development of nanostructured systems containing surfactants has evolved rapidly.