Preparation, Evaluation and Optimization of In-situ gel of Fluoxetine HCl for Intranasal drug delivery

In-situ gelling system is a process in which a solution form converted into the gel form after the formulation has been applied at the site. In-situ gel is helpful to produce sustained release of drug. Fluoxetine HCl is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The current study deals with the preparation, evaluation and optimization of In-situ gel of Fluoxetine HCl for intranasal delivery for the effective treatment of depression. The In-situ gel of Fluxetine HCl was prepared by cold-technique and evaluated for its physical appearance, viscosity, Gel forming temperature, Melting temperature, pH, Spreadability, Swelling index, Drug content and In-vitro release study. In-vitro drug release for optimized formulation was found to be 95.55% of F2 and pH, Drug content, Spreadability, Gelling temperature, Melting temperature were found to be 6.3, 97.6%, 8.0 gmcm/sec, 330C, 790C respectively. The study clearly demonstrated that the Fluoxetine HCl can be successfully delivered through nasal route by preparing in-situ gel. Gel is non-irritating when delivered through nasal route.