Abstract
This study was aimed to design and formulate the moisture-activated patches containing ofloxacin and lidocaine for antibacterial and local anesthetic action. The solubility of lidocaine at $32^{\circ}C$ in various vehicles decreased in the rank order of PG $759.5{\pm}44.5\;mg/mL$ > PGL > IPM > PEG 300 > PEG 400 > Ethanol > PGMC > DGME > PGML > OA > $Captex^{\circledR}\;300$ > $Captex^{\circledR}\;200$ > water $(4.0{\pm}0.1\;mg/mL)$. Ofloxacin revealed very low solubility, which the highest solubility was obtained from PEG 400 $(18.7{\pm}6.3\;mg/mL)$ among the vehicles used. The addition of lactic acid increased the solubility of ofloxacin dramatically; the solubility at 5% lactic acid was $133.7{\pm}9.7\;mg/mL$. As $2-hydroxypropyl-{\beta}-cyclodextrin$ was added at the concentrations of 40, 80, 120, 160 and 200 mM, the solubilities of lidocaine and ofloxacin were enhanced up to three and two times, respectively, with concentration-dependent pattern. Gel intermediates for filmtype patches were prepared with mucoadhesive polymer, viscosity builders, lidocaine or ofloxacin at pH values from 5 to 7. Gels were cast onto a release liner and dried at room temperature. Dried patch was attached onto an adhesive backing layer, thus forming a patch system. Patches containing a single drug component were characterized by in vitro measurement of drug release rates through a cellulose barrier membrane. The release study was carried out at $37^{\circ}C$ using a Franz-type cell. Receptor solutions were isotonic phosphate buffers (pH 7.4). Samples $(100\;{\mu}L)$ were taken over 24 hours and quantitated by a verified HPLC method. The releases from all tested were proportional to the square root of time. The release rates were 0.9, 157.3 and $281.7\;{\mu}g/cm^{2}/min^{1/2}$ for the lidocaine patches and 19.8,37.2 and $50.7\;{\mu}g/cm^{2}/min^{1/2}$ for the ofloxacin patches at the concentrations of 0.3, 0.5 and 1 %, respectively. The release rates were dose dependent in both drug patches $(R^{2}\;=\;0.9077\;for\;lidocaine;\;R^{2}\;=\;0.9949\;for\;ofloxacin)$ and those were also thickness-dependent $(R^{2}\;=\;0.9246\;for\;lidocaine;\;R^{2}\;=\;0.9512\;for\;ofloxacin)$.
