Development of Liposomal Encapsulated Silver Sulfadiazine Gel for Burn Therapy

The aim of the present study was to formulate stable silver sulfadiazine (SSD) liposomal gel suitable for topical delivery with a view to increase bactericidal activity in burn therapy. SSD liposomes were formulated using thin film hydration technique. A 23 factorial design was utilized to study the effect of the molar ratio of lipid: cholesterol (X1), drug concentration (X2) and hydration volume on Encapsulation efficiency (EE%) and vesicle size. Selected batch of liposome was incorporated in to PVPK-30 and HPMCK4M gel base to prepare the liposomal gel formulation, which was evaluated for in-vitro release and in-vivo study. It was evident from the derived polynomial equations and constructed contour plot, an increase in the level of X1 and a decrease in the X2 lead to an increase in EE% and increase in vesicle size. Each of the prepared liposomal gel formulation significantly improved (P<0.05) cumulative amount of drug release owing to the influence of the gel matrix. Among the liposomal gel formulation, L6 (prepared at high level of X1 and low level of X2) showed best release may be due to efficient hydration of the film and more total amount of drug entrapped. In-vivo studies revealed that a liposomal gel containing 0.5% SSD was more effective in wound healing compared to marketed cream.