IN VITRO RELEASE BEHAVIOR AND EX VIVO EVALUATION OF QUERCETIN-MICROEMULSIONS FOR TOPICAL DELIVERY

This work was aimed for developing release behaviour, release kinetics and mechanisms as well as evaluation of ex vivo drug penetration for delivery of the anti-oxidant drug named quercetin encapsulated in microemulsion formulations composed of Tween 80 as surfactant, Transcutol® P as co-surfactant, oleic acid as oil phase and water as aqueous phase. The obtained results showed a slow release behavior without any transdermal delivery. Most of the formulations fitted best with zero-order kinetics and had non-Fickian dissolution mechanisms that could be worthwhile for topical administrations. This study illustrated that the proposed QU-microemulsion formulation has a good potential for use in sunscreen formulations.