Penetration Enhancer for Acyclovir Gel

Objective To study the percutaneous permeation of menthol and azone for acyclovir gel. Methods Different five percent acyclovir gels containing different concentrations of menthol and azone were prepared. The steady state flux of acyclovir from the gel was determined in vitro on excised mouse skin using modified Franz diffusion cells. And the accumulated permeation amount and permeation rate were deterrmined. Results The flux values of acyclovir by no enhancer was 0.862 mg·h -1 . The flux values by 1%, 3% and 5% menthol in the gels were 0.839, 1.973 and 0.967 mg·h -1 . The flux values by 1%, 3% and 5% azone in the gels were 0.693, 0.969 and 0.789 mg·h -1 . The flux values by 3% menthol combined with 1%, 3% and 5% azone were 1.237, 0.997 and 0.928. Conclusion The maximum enhancement in the acyclovir gel was 3% menthol.