Intranasal spray of cubosomal tizanidine hydrochloride for brain targeting: in vitro and in vivo characterisation.

Tizanidine HCl (TH) is used as first-line therapy for the treatment of muscular spasm. The intranasal cubosomal delivery system of TH for site-specific delivery, i.e. CNS was developed. Cubosomes of TH were prepared using glyceryl monooleate (GMO) as a lipid, poloxamer 407 as stabiliser, and ethanol and polyethylene glycol 200 as co-solvent. Optimised cubosomes of TH were characterised for vesicle size, zeta potential, % drug entrapment, and mucin binding efficiency, which were found to be 50.22 nm, -6.39 mV, 69.28%, and 42.12%. It is also evaluated for CRYO-FESEM, CRYO-TEM, SAXS, residual solvent content, and in vitro drug release. Ex vivo permeation was also conducted at 7.4 and it indicates that almost 93.66% drug was diffused from a formulation in 6 h. Histopathological study of the optimised TH cubosomes suggests that the prepared formulation is non-toxic to the nasal mucosa. Pharmacokinetic and brain distribution study indicates targeted action of the formulated TH cubosomes.