Formulation and Evaluation of Captopril Loaded Niosomal Transdermal Films

Captopril was the first angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor used for the management of hypertension. The aim of this study was to prepare and evaluate niosomal-loaded captopril transdermal films. Captopril has good solubility but has poor permeability and reduced bioavailability in the presence of food. The aim and objective are to improve bioavailability and permeability. The captopril-loaded niosomal formulations were prepared by thin film hydration technique, using materials like non-ionic surfactants such as Spans of different grades 20, 40, 60 and 80 and solvents like ethanol and chloroform. The FT-IR results revealed that there was no interaction between excipients and captopril. All the formulations showed better encapsulation efficiency. The dissolution studies showed prolonged drug release in comparison to pure captopril. On comprising all formulations, F3 showed sustained release of 98.44% up to 12hrs. The optimized niosomes of captopril were used to prepare transdermal films using methyl cellulose, HPMC E5, HPMC K4M and HPMC K15M as a film forming agents and dibutyl phthalate as a plasticizer. All the formulated captopril transdermal films were evaluated for drug content, folding endurance, weight variation and in-vitro drug permeation. The in-vitro drug permeation was found to be 99.58% over a period of 12 hrs. Based on the above results, administering niosomal-loaded captopril through the transdermal route is a better approach. 