Proniosomes as a carrier system for transdermal delivery of tenoxicam.

Tenoxicam is a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) widely used in the treatment of rheumatic diseases and characterized by its good efficacy and less side effects compared to other NSAIDs. Its oral administration is associated with severe side effects in the gastrointestinal tract. Transdermal drug delivery has been recognized as an alternative route to oral delivery. Proniosomes offer a versatile vesicle delivery concept with the potential for drug delivery via the transdermal route. In this study, different proniosomal gel bases were prepared, characterized by light microscopy, revealing vesicular structures, and assessed for their drug entrapment efficiency, stability, their effect on in vitro drug release and ex vivo drug permeation. The lecithin-free proniosomes prepared from Tween 20:cholesterol (9:1) proved to be stable with high entrapment and release efficiencies. The in vivo behaviour of this formula was studied on male rats and compared to that of the oral market product. The investigated tenoxicam loaded proniosomal formula proved to be non-irritant, with significantly higher anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects compared to that of the oral market tenoxicam tablets.