Formulation and evaluation of transdermal patches and to study permeation enhancement effect of eugenol

Since oral bioavailability of Propranolol Hydrochloride is poor due to high first pass metabolism different matrix- type transdermal patches incorporating Propranolol Hydrochloride were formulated with an objective to study the effect of polymers on transdermal release of the drugs. The polymers selected for sustaining the release of drug were polyvinylpyrrolidone, Hydroxypropylmethycellulose (HPMC) and Ethyl cellulose (EC). The patches were formulated using combination of polymers and propylene glycol as plasticizer. The physicochemical evaluation of the polymer matrices was performed for suitability. In vitro permeation studies were performed using rat abdominal skin as the permeating membrane in Franz diffusion cell. The result indicated that maximum release was obtained at 2% solution of EC. Optimized batch was evaluated for permeation enhancement through rat skin using natural permeation enhancer Eugenol and it was concluded that permeation enhancement through Eugenol was comparable to the commercially available permeation enhancer Dimethyl sulfoxide 1% (DMSO). All the films were found to be stable at 37ºC and 45ºC with respect to their physical parameters and drug content.