Clindamycin Peel-Off Mask Film, An Effective Formulation For C. Acnes Treatment: Characterization And Microbiological Activity

Abstract

Clindamycin is the antibiotic of choice for treating Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes), which is available in various dosage forms such as topical solution, gel, and foam. In this current study, clindamycin was formulated as the peel-off mask gel, intending to form film and providing the drug release in a sustained manner. This would allow a better antimicrobial efficacy as well as peel-off after use. Fifteen formulations of the peel-off mask gel were designed with varying concentrations of film-forming agents. The primary film-forming agent was polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which was combined with the co-film-forming agents polyvinylpyrrolidone-K30 (PVP-K30) or sodium alginate (SA). The two best formulations were 1 %w/w clindamycin loaded in 10 %w/w PVA with 20 %w/w PVP-K30 (F18) and 10 %w/w PVA with 1.5 %w/w SA (F21). The physical property evaluation of the peel-off mask gel showed that the types and concentrations of film-forming agents influenced the viscosity, spreadability, and film-forming ability. The F18 and F21 formulations showed good to very good spreadability and film-forming ability. The peel-off masks had a pH of 4-5, which were compatible with the skin’s pH. The film provided a drying time of approximately 8 minutes, indicating its fast-drying property, and was appropriate for practical use. The determining of the film’s tensile strength indicated the suitable preference of use. There was no interaction between the ingredients in the formulation evaluated by FT-IR, XRD, and DSC. Both formulations showed a high antimicrobial susceptibility for C. acnes compared to the blank film and the clindamycin solution implying the potential to be used as the new market formulation for acne treatment.