Pluronic F127-tailored lecithin organogel of acyclovir: preclinical evidence of antiviral activity using BALB/c murine model of cutaneous HSV-1 infection

Herpes is a well-known contagious infection equally affecting both sexes. Among many antiviral drugs employed for its treatment, acyclovir (ACY) is the drug of choice. The currently available therapies of ACY suffer from limitations like poor oral bioavailability (10-15%) and high-dose requirement. The present scientific study aims to explore pluronic lecithin organogel (PLO) as a novel drug delivery platform for ACY to bring an improvement in its delivery through topical route. The properties of organogel like biocompatibility and amphiphilic nature which facilitates dissolution of various drugs of different solubility characteristics along with enhancing the permeation potential of active molecules make it a favorable drug delivery platform for the management of topical diseases. The developed PLO formulations were characterized for micromeritic characteristics, viz., zeta potential, percentage drug content, organogel morphology, skin permeation, retention, and stability studies. The selected topical formulation was further compared with the marketed one for its therapeutic efficacy by inducing cutaneous Herpes simplex virus type 1 infection followed by confirmation of viral load by immunofluorescence and PCR analyses. The developed formulation showed significant improvement over the marketed product as reflected in lesion scoring index and PCR analysis. Further, it proved better to the marketed formulation in t.i.d. treatment regimen in comparison to control. The improvement in overall performance leading to enhanced bioavailability and safety is attributed to the synergism between excipient properties and formulation characteristics. The drug ACY in this micro environment not only finds an improved delivery vehicle but it also offers enhanced drug-target interactions.

Automated summary

The study explored pluronic lecithin organogel as a novel drug delivery platform for improving the topical delivery of acyclovir. After various characterization tests, it was found that this therapy showed significant improvement over the marketed product in treating herpes, enhancing bioavailability and safety.