Investigating topical delivery of erythromycin laden into lipid nanocarrier for enhancing the anti-bacterial activity

Skin infections considered as one of the predominant disorders that could greatly influence humans. Topical drug delivery is believed to be an effective substitute to systemically delivered medication for skin disorders management. Erythromycin has been proven to retain anti-bacterial activity. Based on that, the aim of existent study is to develop a proper nanocarrier, namely; nanoemulsion using tea tree oil including Erythromycin. Applying quality by design approach, the optimized nanoemulsion was selected based on number of independent variables namely; particle size and in vitro release study. Yet, in order to get appropriate topical application, the optimized nanoemulsion was combined with previously prepared hydrogel base to provide Erythromycin based nanoemulgel. The developed nanoemulgel was assessed for its organoleptic and physical characters to ensure its suitability for topical application. Stability study was implemented over three months after being kept in two distinct environments. Eventually, the antibacterial behavior of the preparation was investigated on MRSA to verify the expected antibacterial improvement and validate the effectiveness of the developed nanocarrier. The formulation showed consistent appearance, with pH (6.11 ± 0.19), viscosity (10400 ± 1275 cP), spreadability (54.03 ± 2.3 mm), extrudability (80.36 ± 3.15 g/cm²) and drug content (99.3 ± 0.46 %) that seemed to be satisfied for topical application. It could provide 48.1 ± 4.2 % releases over 6 h in addition to be stable at room temperature and at refrigerator. Ultimately, the formula showed a significant antibacterial activity against MRSA proving the combination and the nanocarrier effectiveness.