Preparation and evaluation of QbD based fusidic acid loaded in situ gel formulations for burn wound treatment

Abstract The purpose of this research was to prepare and evaluate the potential use of in situ gel formulations for dermal delivery of fusidic acid for burn wound treatment. Temperature sensitive in situ gels were successfully developed by the cold technique using poloxamer 188, poloxamer 407, poloxamer 338. Finally, the concentration of fusidic acid in formulations was 2% (w/w). The developed formulations were optimized using quality by design (QbD) approach. The prepared formulations were evaluated for clarity, sol-gel transition temperature, gelling capacity, pH, viscosity and drug content. The gelation temperatures of all the fusidic acid loaded formulations were within the range of 30–34 °C. Furthermore, sterility, antibacterial activity, stability, in vitro fusidic acid release, ex vivo permeation, and penetration study of these formulations were also examined. The wound healing feature was appraised by determining the wound contraction and by a histopathological survey. Based on the observed antimicrobial and wound healing effects, the formulations containing fusidic acid could be employed as an alternative to commercial cream. This novel formulation can be employed for making burn wound healing process more efficient.