RESUMEN
La piel es un órgano apropiado para administrar principios activos con el fin de obtener efectos locales o sistémicos. Las formulaciones de uso tópico más comunes son: lociones, emulsiones, suspensiones, cremas, pomadas; las cuales deben reunir determinadas condiciones para ser aplicadas sobre la piel. El objetivo del presente trabajo es seleccionar una emulsión preparada con la técnica de formación de cristales líquidos compuesta de ácido esteárico, vaselina líquida, trietanolamina, propilparabeno, metilparabeno y agua, a la que se le incorpora un ingrediente farmacéutico activo liposoluble: econazol. El econazol, principio activo cuya vía de administración es la tópica y su acción es local, es una sustancia soluble en aceites, que se aloja en la fracción liposoluble de los cristales líquidos y en la fase interna de la emulsión sin que se modifique el perfil reológico ni la estabilidad de los sistemas. Se estudió además del HLB y de sus comportamientos reológicos, la presencia de cristales líquidos con luz polarizada, la existencia de gotas secundarias con luz común y la estabilidad de los sistemas por centrifugación y estrés térmico a temperaturas de 40 ºC. Los valores obtenidos en los estudios realizados, demostraron que la emulsión lograda presenta un perfil reológico y las condiciones de estabilidad adecuadas para ser utilizada como crema medicinal.
The skin is the appropiate organ to administrate active principles in orden to obtain local or systemic effects. Formulations for topical use most common are: lotions, emulsions, suspensions, creams, ointments, which must gather certain conditions to be applied to the skin. In this work, the objective is to select an emulsion prepared by a technique of liquid crystals formation composed by stearic acid, mineral oil, triethanolamine, propylparaben, methylparaben and water. To this formula we incorporated a pharmaceutical active liposoluble ingredient: econazole. Econazole, a principle active with topical administration and local action, is a substance soluble in oils, which stays in the liposoluble fraction of the liquid crystals and in their internal phase of the emulsion without modifying their rheological profile not even the stability of systems. Besides the HLB of the systems and their rheological behaviour we also study the presence of liquid crystals with polarized light, the existence of secondary drops with common light and systems stability by centrifugation, thermal stress and temperatures of 40 °C. The values obtained from the studies made, demonstrated that the emulsion achieved present a rheological profile and stability conditions suitable for medicinal use cream.
RESUMEN
The methods and results obtained by Griffin et al. in the determination of the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values of non-ionic surfactants and of required HLB values of oil mixtures are reviewed in the present work. HLB values published by Griffin were compared with those obtained by calculations from theoretic chemical formulas. Griffin HLB values of polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene monoesters and propylene glycol monoesters coincide with those obtained from such theoretical chemical formulations. These results demonstrate that, for these surfactants, Griffin did not experimentally obtain their HLB values, but instead calculated them from theoretic formulae. For the calculation of the HLB values of glycerol monostearate, sorbitan fatty acid esters and polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, Griffin's assumptions were possibly based upon the mean saponification values of the ester and the acid of the fatty acid. It is concluded that the HLB values of non-ionic surfactants were not rigorously defined. Moreover, Griffin could not demonstrate the validity of the assumption that individual required HLB values can be added up to obtain the overall required HLB value of an oil mixture. The HLB and required HLB values published by Griffin should only be taken as approximate guidelines.