The aim of this study was the preparation and in vitro evaluation of different gel formulations of meloxicam, a well-known and important non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. In the study, gel formulations of meloxicam at a concentration of 1% were prepared using hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and Carbopol 934 as the gelling agents. Emulgel formulation was prepared by mixing the Carbopol 934 gel with water-in-oil (w/o) emulsion base. The in vitro drug release from these formulations through artificial membrane into phosphate buffer medium was determined using Franz diffusion cells. HEC gel base exhibited significantly higher drug release when compared to the other vehicles. The release profiles were evaluated by zero-order, first-order and Higuchi (Q√t) kinetics model. The release of meloxicam from all formulations obeyed the Higuchi model, so the diffusion coefficients were calculated via this equation. According to statistical analysis of the data diffusion coefficients of the drug from the formulations could be ranked as follows: HEC gel (D= 3.58x10^-8 cm².sec^-1) > Carbopol gel (D=4.01x10^-9 cm², sec^-1) > Emulgel (D=1.99xl0^-9 cm² .sec ^-1). This result indicates that gel formulation with HEC is a more suitable gel preparation of meloxicam when compared with the other formulations.

Keywords: Meloxicam, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, Topical gel formulation, Diffusion coefficient, In vitro drug release