Carbopol and Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose Based Methylsulfonylmethane Gels for Treatment of Osteoarthritis: In-vitro and In-vivo Evaluation

The objective of present study was to prepare transdermal gels of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) alone or in combination with aloe vera and sesame oil using polymers like carbopol 940 (CP) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC). The physicochemical compatibility of drug and the polymers was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The gels were evaluated for various physicochemical parameters such as pH, homogeneity, spreadability, viscosity measurement and drug content. In-vitro drug release study across cellophane membrane was performed. CP based gels (F1-F4) showed higher drug release ranging from 89.7% to 96.4% than NaCMC based gels (F5-F8) with drug release ranging from 79.5% to 89.1% at the end of study. Also, CP based gels showed more prominent anti-inflammatory activity (69.25 to 81.5% inhibition) than NaCMC based gels (54.4 to 72.3 % inhibition). CP based F4 formulation was considered to be optimized formulation based on its in vitro drug release and anti-inflammatory activity studies. The F4 formulation was further subjected to skin irritation study, short term stability study and In-vivo study on osteoarthritic patients. It was observed that Lequesne's score was significantly reduced (p<0.05) as compared to placebo, demonstrating that patient's symptoms can be improved with MSM gel containing aloe vera and sesame oil. However, further clinical studies on larger number of patients are required. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that the MSM gel containing aloe vera and sesame oil can be better alternative for treating the patients with osteoarthritis.