Formulation and evaluation of herbal nail lacquer for treatment of onchomycosis

Abstract

A fungal infection of the fingernails or toenails called onychomycosis results in thickening, detachment from the nail bed, and discoloration of the nails. Although it affects everyone, older people, kids, and patients with compromised immune systems are more likely to contract it. The goal of the current study was to create and formulate a therapeutic nail lacquer using the Neem oil to treat the condition of onychomycosis. Neem oil, an antifungal agent, was combined with castor oil, an established anti-inflammatory drug, in this study. Nail lacquer was made using a simple mixing process. Application frequency was decreased to twice a week by using polymers such ethyl cellulose to sustain medication release for up to 20 hours. Along with a bad odour, the infection is accompanied by pain and swelling around the nail. Ethyl acetate will therefore aid in masking the unpleasant aroma while also having an anti-inflammatory impact to increase patient compliance and acceptability. Additionally, it will function as a permeation enhancer, increasing the drug's ability to permeate the nail bed. Drying time, non-volatile content, viscosity, water resistance test, and research were taken into consideration when optimizing the formulation. The ideal drug viscosity for the optimized formulation was around 131 cp, and the drying period was 3 min. As a result, neem oil's nail lacquer was effectively created.