Evolutionary aspect of Antifungal Topical Gel- A Review

Topical drug delivery is defined as the application of pharmaceutical dosage form to the skin for direct treatment of cutaneous disorder or the cutaneous manifestation of the general disease, with the intent of confining the pharmacological or other effect of the drug to the surface of the skin. Topical drug delivery systems include a large variety of pharmaceutical dosage form like semisolids, liquid preparation, sprays, solid powders, gels, creams and ointments.A gel is a cross-linked polymer network swollen in a liquid medium. Its properties depend strongly on the interaction between solid state polymer and the liquid component. Gels exhibit no steady-state flow. The interaction between polymer and the liquid dispersion medium form an interlacing three dimensional network of particles of dispersed phase. Topical gel formulation provides a suitable delivery system for drugs because they are less greasy and can be easily removed from the skin. Gel formulation provides better application property and stability in comparison to cream and ointments. Fungal infection of the skin is one of the most common problems faced with dermatological diseases in worldwide. Topical therapy is a most suitable choice for the treatment of the cutaneous infections. Azoles are the most commonly used antifungals in the clinical treatment of local and systemic fungal infections. Topical therapy for fungal infection is advantageous because the drugs are targeting to the site of infection and reduces the risk of systemic side effects. Formulation design and optimization are key steps for increasing the therapeutic efficacy. The physiochemical properties of drug molecule and formulation type are most useful factors in topical drug delivery system. Therefore, a number of new advances in formulation have been investigated for delivering antifungal drugs through skin target site. This review focus on researches till now done on antifungal gel and detailed study over it.