Formulation and physicochemical characterization of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCS) loaded with Ibuprofen

Objective: This study aimed to develop and characterize na-
nostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) loaded with 1% ibuprofen (IBU-NLC) to enhance skin penetration and enable localized treatment of inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoarthritis. The formulation was designed to overcome the limited skin permeability of conventional ibuprofen gels and provide a stable,controlled-release delivery system.
Methods: IBU-NLCs were prepared using a homogenization
followed by ultrasonication. The lipid and aqueous phases were separately heated to 75°C, then emulsified using an ULTRA-Turrax to form a microemulsion, followed by sonication using a SONICS VibraCell to generate a nanoemulsion. The resulting formulation was cooled and characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS) to determine hydrodynamic particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential (ZP) for surface charge. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine encapsulation efficiency (%EE). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)was performed using morphological analysis. Stability was evaluated after one week of storage at 6°C.
Results: The freshly prepared IBU-NLCs showed a mean parti-
cle size of 93.15 nm, PDI of 0.135, and ZP of -20.56 mV, indicating a good size and homogeneous formulations. After one week, the NLCs retained stability with minor changes: particle size of 100.26 nm, PDI of 0.198, and ZP of -18.89 mV. TEM analysis confirmed spherical morphology and corroborate the data of DLS. The encapsulation efficiency of ibuprofen was 11.15%.
Conclusion: Stable IBU-NLCs were successfully developed,
demonstrating suitable particle size, surface charge, and spherical morphology. Further formulation optimization is recommended to improve drug loading, conduct extended stability and release studies.