31, July 2025

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF ETODOLAC HYDROGEL FOR TOPICAL PAIN RELIEF

VOLUME-11; ISSUE-7; JULY-2025

Author(s): Dhiraj R. Nikam, Mitesh P. Sowanane

Authors Affiliations:

Department of Pharmaceutics, Loknete Dr. J. D. Pawar College of Pharmacy, Manur (Kalwan)-423501, Maharashtra, India.

DOIs:10.2015/IJIRMF/202507040     |     Paper ID: IJIRMF202507040


Abstract
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Etodolac, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, is widely used to treat pain and inflammation associated with musculoskeletal disorders. However, its oral administration is linked with gastrointestinal and systemic side effects. To overcome these limitations, a topical hydrogel formulation was developed to provide localized, sustained drug release with improved patient compliance. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate Etodolac-loaded hydrogel formulations using suitable polymers and excipients for effective topical delivery. Nine hydrogel formulations (F1–F9) were prepared using Carbopol 934 and HPMC as gelling agents, ethanol as a penetration enhancer, triethanolamine for pH adjustment, and methylparaben and propylparaben as preservatives by using quality by design approach and evaluated for compatibility study using FTIR and DSC methods. The formulations were evaluated for physical appearance, pH, homogeneity, viscosity, spreadability, drug content and in-vitro drug diffusion. The optimized formulation was further subjected to stability studies under accelerated and ambient conditions. All formulations exhibited acceptable physical characteristics and pH values within the skin-compatible range (6.4–7.3). Among them, Formulation F5 demonstrated the most favourable results, with highest drug content (98.18 ± 0.4%), excellent spreadability (6.8 ± 0.2 g·cm/sec) and maximum drug release (92.5 ± 1.0%) over 8 hours. Stability studies confirmed that F5 remained stable with no significant variations in key parameters over two months. The optimized Etodolac hydrogel formulation (F5) shows potential as an effective, safe and stable topical delivery system for localized pain relief. Further in-vivo studies and clinical trials are warranted to confirm its therapeutic utility.

Etodolac, Hydrogel, Topical delivery, Carbopol 934, In-vitro diffusion.

Dhiraj R. Nikam, Mitesh P. Sowanane (2025); DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF ETODOLAC HYDROGEL FOR TOPICAL PAIN RELIEF, International Journal for Innovative Research in Multidisciplinary Field, ISSN(O): 2455-0620, Vol-11, Issue-7, Pp.267-279.          Available on –   https://www.ijirmf.com/

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