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Development and optimization of sulfasalazine loaded microemulsion for improved topical treatment of psoriasis
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DOI：10.1080/20415990.2026.2629203.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
BackgroundPsoriasis is a persistent, chronic autoimmune skin disease that affects around 2% of the global population. Conventional therapies often exhibit limited efficacy, systemic side effects, and poor patient compliance due to long-term treatment needs.Materials & methodsThis study focused to develop and optimize a sulfasalazine-loaded microemulsion (SSZ-ME) for topical delivery to enhance skin penetration and therapeutic efficacy in psoriasis. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were prepared to identify the optimal surfactant mixture, with Tween 80 and Polyethylene Glycol 400 selected in a 2:1 ratio. A 23 factorial design was used to optimize formulation parameters, focusing on oil and surfactant mixture effects on globule size and viscosity.Results and conclusionsThe resulting microemulsions showed globule sizes between 60 +/- 0.42 to 349 +/- 0.13 nm, with optimal viscosity. In vitro release studies confirmed sustained drug release over 24 hours, following first-order kinetics. Skin permeation studies demonstrated enhanced drug penetration with SSZ-ME, while histopathological analysis revealed significant improvements in psoriatic symptoms in mice treated with 4% SSZ-ME compared to 2% SSZ-ME and marketed formulation. Blood analysis confirmed minimal systemic absorption and localized action. These results suggest that SSZ-ME offers a promising, patient-compliant, and effective topical therapy for psoriasis with improved therapeutic outcomes and minimal systemic exposure.
Keywords:
Sulfasalazine microemulsion
virgin coconut oil
psoriasis treatment
topical drug delivery
microemulsion optimization
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