Micropiercing-iontophoresis mediated transdermal delivery of celecoxib from ethyl cellulose and polyethylene glycol based electrospun mats

The present study aimed to prepare ethyl cellulose and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000-based fibres and evaluate the potential of prepared formulation to reduce paw oedema in rats, in combination with microneedling or iontophoresis or microneedling-iontophoresis. The optimized polymeric formulation F3 predominately displayed fibres and some beads with an average diameter of 179 ± 125 nm and 316 ± 301 nm, respectively. Formulation F3 released ∼77 % of loaded drug within 60 min. During ex-vivo permeation study on rat skin, application of formulation F3 following micropiercing (∼33 %) or iontophoresis (∼36 %) or micropiercing-iontophoresis (∼49 %) resulted in a significantly higher flux of celecoxib as compared to F3 (∼21 %). Similarly, application of formulation F3 following micropiercing (∼64 %) or iontophoresis (∼66 %) or micropiercing-iontophoresis (∼76 %) treatment resulted in a significant reduction in paw oedema when compared to F3 (∼50 %). A significant reduction in the level of TNF-α and IL-6 was also recorded following application of fibrous structure F3 after micropiercing, iontophoresis or their combination treatments than the formulation F3. Any damage to dermis or blood vessels was not recorded following microneedling or its combination with iontophoresis indicating safety and minimally invasive nature of these approaches. It was concluded that the advanced topical/transdermal approaches i.e., microneedling and iontophoresis can serve as promising candidates to efficiently administer celecoxib across rat skin and manage inflammatory diseases.