Emulsion Dosage Forms Flashcards
Everyday emulsions:
- Serum
- Cheese/ butter
- Paint
- Wet chemicals/fire distinguisher
Pharmaceutical emulsions/ applications:
- Topical delivery = creams
- Total parenteral nutrition (intravenous feeding of fat emulsions)
- Oral delivery and taste masking (cod liver oil)
- As vehicle for drug (emulsions containing propofol)
Emulsions - what is it?
A ‘pseudo-stable’ dispersion of at least two immiscible liquids, one of which is dispersed throughout the other in the form of fine droplets (generally oil and water) stabilised by the presence of an emulsifying agent (known as emulsifier)
Oil in water / Water in oil
Emulsified oil droplet by WATER
Water droplets emulsified by OIL
Which one is easily spreadable
Water in oil (w/o)
Which one is easily rinsed off of skin?
Oil in water (o/w)
e.g. milk is easier to rince off rather than sun cream
o/w = which is the bulk phase?
Water
Properties of emulsions:
Cloudy or milky
Droplet sizes are polydispersed (nm to µm)
Low concentration of surfactant/cosurfactant
Thermodynamically unstable but kinetically stable(feasible to separate, but happens very slowly)
Prepared by input of large amount of energy, e.g. high speed homogenisation, sonication, heat
Emulsion types
Normal emulsion (o/w)
Reverse emulsion (w/o)
Multiple emulsion (o/w/o or w/o/w)
Emulsion examples
o/w emulsions
Vehicles for lipophilic drugs
w/o emulsions
Sunscreen
w/o/w emulsions
Vancomycin hydrochloride – enhanced enteral bioavailability
Creams
Semi-solid emulsions of two immiscible phases stabilised by emulsifying agent (either o/w or w/o)
o/w ‘watery’ creams
Water is the continuous medium, while oil is the dispersed phase, therefore o/w creams do not feel greasy
Can deposit lipids so restore skin hydration, however they are non-occlusive
Rub into the skin, leaving behind a thin film of rapidly releasing water-soluble drug
Readily diluted and miscible with water; easily rinsed off
Conduct electricity
Prepared using surfactants with higher HLB (8-16)
w/o ‘oily’ creams
Are more greasy, since oil is the continuous phase
More moisturising as they provide an oily barrier which reduces water loss from the outer layer of the skin
Hydrophobic drugs are better formulated and
more readily released
Miscible with oil therefore not easily washable, however more easily spreadable
Do not conduct electricity
Prepared using low HLB surfactants (3.5-8)
Creams are a type of…
Surfactant used determines the type of cream prepared (o/w or w/o)
>Important to consider the HLB of the surfactant mixture
Semi-solid creams require excess surfactant/co-surfactant compared to that required for stabilising runny emulsions
The excess surfactants form structures in the bulk phase producing complex semi-solid multiphase systems
Creams structure (example) - 4 types
- Dispersed oil phase
- Bulk water phase
- Crystalline gel phase containing interlamellar fixed water
- Phase composed of crystalline hydrates of cetostearyl alcohol
What are creams prepared by?
in an o/w cream prepared by cetostearyl alcohol
Explain the cream structure;
21 slide
- Surface of oil droplet (surrounded by surfactants and co-surfactants) > water > bilayer > preservative
IN REALITY there is a micelle between the surface of oil and the bilayer ( in the water) - similar to a micelles but an oval shape
Which one is the oiliest [b]+ watery [b]?
Ointment vs cream vs lotion
a) Ointment
b) Lotion
Why is ointment is able to trap ointment into the skin easier than lotion?
It traps more moisture in the skin
however greasy emollients are often less acceptable or tolarated
Breakdown on Creams, lotions and ointments
Creams are less greasy but generally more acceptable than ointments
Lotions are good for very mild dry skin and for the face. They can also be used in hairy places where the application of ointments or thicker creams can be quite messy!
Ointments should not be used where an infection is present (unless it is an antibiotic ointment)
Over-use of greasy ointments can lead to folliculitis (blockage and inflammation of hair follicles)