Ethosomes: a novel delivery system for antifungal drugs in the treatment of topical fungal diseases.

Aim of this work was to prepare and characterize fluconazole (FLZ) encapsulated ethosomes, incorporate it in suitable dermatological base, and asses its comparative clinical efficacy in the treatment of Candidiasis patients against liposomal gel, marketed product and hydroethanolic solution of the drug. Drug encapsulated ethosomes and liposomes were prepared and optimized by "Hot" method technique and lipid film hydration technique. Vesicular carriers were characterized for % entrapment efficiency, particle size and shape, in vitro drug diffusion study, mean % reduction in dimension of Candidiasis lesion and stability study by using suitable analytical technique. Vesicle size and drug entrapment efficiency of the optimized ethosomes and liposomes were found to be 144 +/- 6.8 nm and 82.68% and 216 +/- 9.2 nm and 68.22% respectively. Microscopic examinations suggest ethosomes to be multilamellar spherical vesicles with a smooth surface. The differential scanning calorimetry results suggest high fluidity of the ethosomes than liposomes. In vitro drug diffusion studies demonstrated that % drug diffused from ethosomes was nearly twice than liposomes and three times higher than the hydroethanolic solution across rat skin. From the clinical evaluation, the developed novel delivery system demonstrated enhanced antifungal activity compared to liposomal formulation, marketed formulation and hydroethanolic solution of the drug.