Formulation development and characterization of an antifungal nail patch based on Pistacia atlantica gum for transungual treatment of onychomycosis

Recently, there has been considerable interest in using patches as drug carriers for the treatment of numerous diseases. Due to the severe side effects associated with systemic or surgical treatment for onychomycosis, as well as the drug's limited penetration into the nail plate, new methods of local drug administration are required for the treatment of this infection. The primary objective of this study was therefore to develop a novel and, of course, effective formulation of Terbinafine hydrochloride nail patches for the treatment of onychomycosis. In this work, Pistacia atlantica gum was employed for the first time as a natural adhesive agent instead of synthetic polymers. The patches were produced by solvent evaporation and were characterized both physically and biologically. Using Design-Expert software, the response surface method (RSM) was employed to determine the most appropriate formulation. The elongation at break of the optimized patch was 530.38 ± 25.22% and the modulus was 0.15± 0.02 MPa. Adhesion properties such as tack and peel were 0.32± 0.03 N/mm2 and 5.34 ± 0.52 N/25 mm, respectively. The patch had an aesthetically pleasing appearance and uniform thickness. In addition, the disk diffusion test revealed that the patches had a good antifungal effect, with a considerable growth inhibition zone. It was observed that the patch containing 1% of the active agent would be the most effective. It was most effective against species of Trichophyton verrucosum, with inhibition zone diameters of 88 ± 1.4 mm, and least effective against species of Trichophyton mentagrophytes, with inhibition zone diameters of 62 ± 9.4 mm. The cumulative drug amount per unit area after 72 h was approximately 335.43± 4.10 μg/cm2. The obtained results indicate that the developed formulation has a potential drug delivery system for the treatment of tinea unguium (onychomycosis). [Display omitted] •A biocompatible patch with good antifungal, mechanical, and adhesion capabilities was produced.•P. atlantica gum was used as an adhesive agent in this drug delivery system, offering an alternative to chemical adhesives.•Drug loading had minimal impact on patch tensile, tack, and peel qualities.