International Journal of Drug Delivery Technology
Volume 16, Issue 6s, 2026

Formulation, Optimization, and Characterization of Crisaborole-Loaded Proniosomes Using a Factorial Design Approach

Puja Kachhiya1, Dr Mital Patani1*, Dr Bhavna Nangha3, Drashti Chauhan1, Dr Siddhi Upadhyay2, Sneha Patel2, Meet Agrawal1

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

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

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

Corresponding Author:
Dr Mital Patani
Professor, Sigma Institute of Pharmacy, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Email: Patanimital@yahoo.com


ABSTRACT

Crisaborole is a topical anti-inflammatory agent used to treat atopic dermatitis; however, its clinical efficacy is limited by inadequate skin permeation and short retention time. This study aimed to formulate and optimize crisaborole-loaded proniosomes using a design of experiments (DoE) approach to enhance drug encapsulation and achieve controlled drug release. Proniosomes were prepared using non-ionic surfactants and cholesterol, and a 3² factorial design was employed to optimize the formulation variables. Encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release were selected as critical quality attributes. The optimized formulation demonstrated high encapsulation efficiency (≈90.63%) and sustained drug release (≈85.51% over 7 h). Statistical analysis confirmed the significant influence of the formulation variables, and response surface methodology validated the robustness of the optimized system. These findings suggest that DoE-optimized crisaborole-loaded proniosomes are promising vesicular carriers for enhanced topical drug delivery.

Keywords: Crisaborole, Proniosomes, Design of Experiment, Topical delivery, Vesicular drug delivery.

How to cite this article: Kachhiya P, Patani M, Nangha B, Chauhan D, Upadhyay S, Patel S, Agrawal M. Formulation, Optimization, and Characterization of Crisaborole-Loaded Proniosomes Using a Factorial Design Approach. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(6s): 665-675; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.6s.92

Source of support: None

Conflict of interest: None