Novel ethosomal gel formulation for enhanced transdermal delivery of curcumin and cyclosporine: a preclinical approach to rheumatoid arthritis management

Vesicular systems have demonstrated efficacy in the management of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). This study explores the synergistic effect of edge-activated ethosomal gel to enhance the transdermal delivery of Curcumin (CUR) and Cyclosporine (CYC). Ethosomal vesicles prepared via the ethanol injection method were incorporated into a gel, with the optimized formulation exhibiting an average particle size of 93.3 ± 1.17 nm and a zeta potential of −29.2 ± 0.17 mV. Ex vivo diffusion studies on porcine ear skin demonstrated 97.115 ± 0.40% CUR and 98.331 ± 1.08% CYC release over 18 hours, exhibiting Hixson-Crowell diffusion mechanisms. The steady-state flux and permeability coefficients were 0.095 µg/cm2/hr and 0.0095 cm/hr for CUR, and 0.0804 µg/cm2/hr and 0.01608 cm/hr for CYC respectively. In anti-inflammatory tests on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells, the gel significantly increased IL-10 levels (p