Formulations, characterization, in vitro and ex vivo release of Ephedra extract from topical preparations using dialysis cellulose membrane and natural rabbit skin

Abstract

Ephedra is herbal medicine used in the treatment of many diseases, especially asthma and urticaria. The aim of this study was to formulate topical formulations as a microemulsion, a gel and an ointment containing the Ephedra extracts of (E. Intermedia), collected from Balochistan, Pakistan and to evaluate their isolation, characterization and in vitro and ex vivo permeability release using markers. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the quantification of markers, and in vitro and ex vivo studies were done by Franz diffusion cells. The kinetics release and permeability was checked by cuprophan dialysis membrane and natural rabbit skin to justify their stability for topical use. Of the three formulations, release behavior of microemulsion and gel was almost the same, and the ointment showed slow release. The cellulose membrane showed faster release than the rabbit skin; this arrangement can be shown as microemulsion > gel > ointment. However, Korsmeyer-Peppas release kinetics for the three formulations were observed for the membranes. This study demonstrates that it is necessary to assess the impact of release and permeability patterns of different formulations. In vitro and ex vivo experiments can be utilized to develop formulations of traditional medicines.