Development and Optimization of Imiquimod-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Using a Hybrid Design of Experiments Approach

Sangseo Kim; Sadikalmahdi Abdella; Fatima Abid; Franklin Afinjuomo; Souha H Youssef; Amy Holmes; Yunmei Song; Sachin Vaidya; Sanjay Garg

doi:10.2147/IJN.S400610

Development and Optimization of Imiquimod-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Using a Hybrid Design of Experiments Approach

Int J Nanomedicine. 2023 Feb 22:18:1007-1029. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S400610. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Sangseo Kim¹, Sadikalmahdi Abdella¹, Fatima Abid¹, Franklin Afinjuomo¹, Souha H Youssef¹, Amy Holmes¹, Yunmei Song¹, Sachin Vaidya², Sanjay Garg¹

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Pharmaceutical Innovation, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia.
² Central Adelaide Local Health Network, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, SA, 5011, Australia.

Abstract

Background: Imiquimod (IMQ) is an immunomodulating drug that is approved for the treatment of superficial basal cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis, external genital warts and perianal warts. However, IMQ cream (Aldara^®) has several drawbacks including poor skin permeation, local toxicity, and compromised patient compliance as a topical pharmacological option.

Methods: Our research aimed to develop and optimize nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) containing IMQ for the first time using a hybrid design of experiments approach. The optimized formulation was then incorporated into a matrix-type topical patch as an alternative dosage form for topical application and evaluated for IMQ deposition across different skin layers in comparison to the performance of the commercial product. Additionally, our work also attempted to highlight the possibility of implementing environment-friendly practices in our IMQ-NLCs formulation development by reviewing our analytical methods and experimental designs and reducing energy and solvent consumption where possible.

Results: In this study, stearyl alcohol, oleic acid, Tween^® 80 (polysorbate 80), and Gelucire^® 50/13 (Stearoyl polyoxyl-32 glycerides) were selected for formulation development. The formulation was optimized using a 2^k factorial design and a central composite design. The optimized formulation achieved the average particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential of 75.6 nm, 0.235, and - 30.9 mV, respectively. Subsequently, a matrix-type patch containing IMQ-NLCs was developed and achieved a statistically significant improvement in IMQ deposition in the deeper skin layers. The IMQ deposition from the patch into the dermis layer and receptor chamber was 3.3 ± 0.9 µg/cm² and 12.3 ± 2.2 µg/cm², while the commercial cream only deposited 1.0 ± 0.8 µg/cm² and 1.5 ± 0.5 µg/cm² of IMQ, respectively.

Conclusion: In summary, IMQ-NLC-loaded patches represent great potential as a topical treatment option for skin cancer with improved patient compliance.

Keywords: design of experiments; greenness evaluation; imiquimod; nanostructured lipid carrier; skin cancer; topical patches.

MeSH terms

Food
Glycerides
Humans
Imiquimod
Nanostructures*
Skin*

Substances

Imiquimod
Glycerides