International Journal Of Drug Delivery Technology
Volume 16, Issue 11s, 2026 | PG 987-998

Development, Optimization, And Evaluation Of Luliconazole-Loaded Proniosomal Gel For Enhanced Topical Delivery

Drashti Chauhan1, Mital Patani1*, Dikshitkumar Modi4, Bhavna Nangha3, Puja Kachhiya1, Jyoti Shingh2, Siddhi Upadhyay2

1Sigma Institute of Pharmacy, Sigma University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India – 390019

2Faculty of Pharmacy, Sigma University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India – 390019

3Varsha Goswami College of Pharmacy, Monark University, Vahelal, Gujarat, India-382330

4S.S. Agrawal Institute of Pharmacy, Navsari, Gujarat, India-396445

*Corresponding Author: Dr Mital Patani, Sigma Institute of Pharmacy, Sigma University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India – 390019

ABSTRACT

Luliconazole is an effective antifungal drug with limited aqueous solubility and skin permeation, which may affect its topical therapeutic efficacy. The present study aimed to develop and optimize a Luliconazole-loaded proniosomal gel to enhance topical drug delivery. Preformulation studies, including organoleptic evaluation, melting point determination, solubility analysis, UV spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry, confirmed the drug purity and suitability for formulation. Proniosomes were prepared using the coacervation phase separation method and evaluated for vesicle size, drug content, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro drug release. A 3² factorial design was employed to optimize the formulation variables. The optimized proniosomal dispersion was incorporated into a carbopol-based gel, and its physicochemical properties and in vitro drug diffusion were evaluated. The optimized formulation demonstrated good encapsulation efficiency, controlled drug release, satisfactory gel characteristics, and improved diffusion. These findings suggest that proniosomal gels are a promising approach for enhancing the topical delivery of Luliconazole.

Keywords: Luliconazole, Proniosomes, Topical gel, Design of Experiments, Controlled release, Dermal drug delivery, Antifungal formulation.

How to cite this article: Chauhan D, Patani M, Modi D, Nangha B, Kachhiya P, Shingh J, Upadhyay S, Development, Optimization, and Evaluation of Luliconazole-Loaded Proniosomal Gel for Enhanced Topical Delivery. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(11s): 987-998. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.11s.97

Source of support: Nil

Conflict of interest: None