Author(s)

Avinash B. Gangurde, Purnima D. Amin

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India.

Vitamin A palmitate (VAP) contains retinol and palmitic acid which is easily absorbed by body and widely used in skin care products. But, it is a hydrophobic and oxidation sensitive molecule which undergoes rapid degradation especially in an aqueous environment. The purpose of this study was to prepare microcapsules of VAP using combination maltodextrin and modified starches. Emulsion of VAP was prepared using cremophore RH 40 with Tween 80 in a homogenizer and formed emulsion was spray-dried. The spray process was optimized using a central composite design for two variables to obtain microcapsules with desirable characteristics. Microcapsules containing 30% of VAP were produced using different concentration of wall materials. The prepared microcapsules were evaluated for their physical, morphological, in-vitro drug release and SEM study. The results showed that obtained microcapsules are nearly spherical in shape with a particle size ranged from 1 to 12 μm. The drug content and encapsulation efficiency (53% - 63%) of different batches were found within acceptable range. These stabilized drug loaded microcapsules were incorporated into silicone cream based formulation for convenient topical application and evaluated for its physicochemical parameters. The drug release study showed 80.18% to 83.43% of drug release from VAP microcapsules while topical formulations prepared by VAP microcapsules showed 67.09% to 71.45% drug release at the end of 24 hrs. The formulations were kept for 3 months stability study as per ICH guidelines and found to be stable.

Vitamin A Palmitate, Microencapsulation, Spray Drying, Starch Derivatives, Topical Delivery

Gangurde, A. and Amin, P. (2017) Microencapsulation by Spray Drying of Vitamin A Palmitate from Oil to Powder and Its Application in Topical Delivery System. Journal of Encapsulation and Adsorption Sciences, 7, 10-39. doi: 10.4236/jeas.2017.71002.