Development of nanosuspension-based thermosensitive gel formulation for radiodermatitis treatment: In vitro-in vivo characterization and investigation of neutron-gamma absorption properties

Radiodermatitis (RD) is a disease that manifests itself as severe skin reactions such as erythema, edema, dermatitis, desquamation and necrosis that occur during or after radiotherapy. Currently, there isn't standard treatment procedure for the treatment of radiodermatitis. The purpose of this research was to develop and evaluate in vitro and in vivo a thermosensitive formulation containing Dexketoprofen Trometamol (DEX) and Lidocaine (LID) in nanosuspension form to reduce the symptoms of radiodermatitis. To develop the gel system, poloxamer 407 (POL 407) was used as a thermosensitive polymer and combined with polymers with different properties such as chitosan (CHI), hyaluronic acid (HA) and sodium polyacrylate (PA). As a result of in vitro and exvivo studies, CHI-GEL was determined to be the most suitable formulation. CHI-GEL increased the amount of active substance remaining in the skin compared to other gel formulations developed. In the cell culture study, CHI-GEL showed similar toxicity to marketed preparations. It was determined that the developed formulation would absorb of the applied radiation dose. In addition, energy can be absorbed for gamma radiation; however, it was decided that this energy is not clinically significant due to its high penetration ability. In the in vivo studies, AUC values for % edema inhibition was found to be 3.38 times higher in CHI-GEL than in the control group and the best anti-inflammatory activity was observed in the CHI-GEL formulation. As a result, an effective formulation with anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties that can be used in the treatment of radiodermatitis has been developed.

Journal

JOURNAL OF DRUG DELIVERY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Year

2025

Volume

110

ISSN

1773-2247

eISSN

2588-8943

DOI

10.1016/j.jddst.2025.107048

WoS UID

WOS:001501965300005