Comparison and evaluation of aceclofenac nanoemulsion formulation using homogenization and ultrasonication techniques

Abstract

The goal of this study is to evaluate aceclofenac nanoemulsion formulations with varying surfactant-co-surfactant ratio and method of preparation. Aceclofenac is a BCS class II NSAID, with greater anti-inflammatory action than traditional NSAIDS. Ten formulations were prepared in this study, using aceclofenac as the active pharmaceutical ingredient. All 10 formulations contained same amount of aceclofenac, which was 1.5%. Percentage of all the other reagents were kept constant as well except for Tween-80 and ethanol (surfactant and co-surfactant). F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5 were formulated through homogenization method, whereas F1´, F2´, F3´, F4´ and F5´ were formulated through ultrasonication method. All 10 formulations remained stable after 14 days. To further evaluate the formulations, studies like dye test, dilution test, conductivity test, fluorescence test was done. The techniques successfully resulted in 10 stable emulsions, but more studies, e.g. droplet size analysis, zeta potential test, percent transmittance, in-vitro analysis can further confirm if the formulations are nanoemulsions.