FORMULATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NANO-STRUCTURED LIPID CARRIER

For UV protection, Lutein was successfully delivered topically using gels made of nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) technology. Drugs and their possible excipients were screened for NLC during preformulation studies using methods such organoleptic assessment, melting point analysis, UV-Visible spectra, solubility studies, partition coefficient, and Fourier transform-Infrared (FT-IR) analysis.After the drug was successfully characterized, formulation development was carried out to select and optimize solid and liquid lipid, solid lipid to liquid lipid ratio, surfactant and co-surfactant concentrations, formulation technique, and process factors i.e. stirring speed, stirring time, and homogenization cycles. Following the optimization of process parameters, a formulation table was created and NLC were produced appropriately. In order to develop the optimal NLC formulation, the characterizations of the produced NLC formulations were assessed for shape and surface morphology (TEM), particle size, zeta potential , % entrapment efficiency, and in vitro release testing.The optimized Lutein NLC formulation has a particle size of 81.64 nm, a zeta potential of -14.1 mV.