ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Aneeqa Aslam1, Khurram Rehman2, Muhammad Irfan Siddique3 ,
Hafeezullah Wazir Ali4, Samah Ahmed Alzahrani5, Afnan Wasl Althobaiti6, Zia ur Rehman7,8 and Mohd Imran9
1Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, UVAS, Lahore, Pakistan.
2Department of Pharmacy, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Lahore, Pakistan.
3Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Northern Border University, Rafha, Saudi Arabia.
4Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia.
5Department of Laboratory, Prince Sultan Military Hospital, Taif 26572, Saudi Arabia.
6Dental Department, Northern Area Armed Forces Hospital, Hafr Albaten 39742, Saudi Arabia.
7Health Research Centre, Jazan University, P.O. Box 114, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia.
8Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia.
9Center for Health Research, Northern Border University, Arar 73213, Saudi Arabia.
Article Number: 10238 | © The Author(s). 2025
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2025;19(2):1331-1341. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.19.2.36
Received: 15 January 2025 | Accepted: 15 April 2025 | Published online: 31 May 2025
Issue online: June 2025
Abstract

Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is the most common superficial fungal skin infection affecting large number of the population worldwide. Prevalence of this disease has been increased. The present study aimed to formulate topical gel loaded with Ketoconazole (KTZ) as an antifungal agent and black seed oil with anti-inflammatory or antifungal activity to effectively treat seborrheic dermatitis (SD). The dispersion method was used to formulate gel preparations using gelling agents (Carbopol 934, Methylcellulose, and Xanthan gum). The prepared gels were evaluated for organoleptic properties, pH, spreadability, rheology, and drug content. The antifungal assay was performed using Malassezia furfur. In vitro permeation studies were performed on Franz diffusion cells. For drug-excipients compatibility studies, FTIR was performed. According to ICH guidelines, three months of stability studies were performed. The results indicated that gel formulations follow non-Newtonian shear-thinning pseudo-plastic type flow; F2 has high drug content (92.22 ± 0.32%), and the zone of inhibition (22 ± 1.25 mm), and highest drug release (91.88 ± 0.11%). No physicochemical interactions were found between the drug and polymer. Stability studies revealed that the formulations were stable at 25 °C. In conclusion, a gel of KTZ with oil exhibited a synergetic effect and offered a potential SD treatment strategy, suggesting it may be an alternative treatment for SD.

Keywords

Seborrheic Dermatitis, Ketoconazole, Black Seed Oil, Malassezia furfur, Antifungal Activity, Stability Analysis

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© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.