A Review On: Ointment and Ointment Bases: Volume 5, Issue 9, 335-345. Review Article ISSN 2277 - 7105
A Review On: Ointment and Ointment Bases: Volume 5, Issue 9, 335-345. Review Article ISSN 2277 - 7105
ABSTRACT
Article Received on
23 June 2016, Pharmaceutical semisolid preparation includes ointment, cream, paste
Revised on 13 July 2016, emulsion gel and rigid foams. These preparation serve as a carrier for
Accepted on 02 August 2016
DOI: 10.20959/wjpr20169-6795
drugs. Ointment can adhere to the application surface for long period
of time before they are washed off. These property of ointment helps
for prolong drug delivery at the site of application. Ointments may be
*Corresponding Author
medicated or non-medicated. Oleaginous ointments are preferred for
Rajveer Bhaskar
Assistant Professor dry, chapped skin in the environment of low humidity because of its
Department of occlusive properties. Ointments are mainly evaluated by physical test
Pharmaceutics, R. C. Patel like test for rate of absorption, test for non irritancy, test for
Institute of Pharmaceutical
penetration, test of drug release, test of rheological property, test of
Education and Research,
content uniformity and also by microbiological test like microbial
Shirpur (Maharashtra).
content and preservative efficacy.
INTRODUCTION
An ointments are homogenious, viscous semisolid preparation, most commonly a greasy, oily
(Oil-80%, Water-20%) with high viscosity that is intended for external application to skin or
mucous membranes. They are used as emollients or for the application of active ingredients
to the skin for protective, therapeutic, or prophylactic purposes and where a degree of
occlusion is desired. Ointments are used topically on a variety of body surfaces. These
include the skin and the mucous membrane of the eye (an eye ointment), chest, vulva, anus
and nose.[6,8]
Ointment have very moisturizing characteristic and are effective for dry skin. They have very
low risk of sensitization due to having few ingredients beyond the base oil or fat and also low
irritation risk. They have more greasiness so mostly disliked by patients.[1,6,9]
Types of Ointment
Ointment may be medicated or non-medicated.
a) Medicated ointment: For the application of API to skin for protective, therapeutic, or
prophylactic purpose.
b) Non-medicated ointment: These are used for physical effect. They are use as protectant,
emollients, or lubricants.[7]
Advantages of an ointment
1) They have site specific application of drug on affected area, which avoids unnecessary
non target exposure of drug thereby avoiding side effect i.e. site specific action with less
side effect.
2) They avoid first pass metabolism of drug.
3) Convenient for unconscious patients having difficulty in oral administration.
4) Comparatively they are chemically more stable and easy to handle than liquid dosage
forms.
5) They are suitable dosage forms for bitter taste drugs.[8]
Disadvantages of an ointment
1) These oily semisolid preparations are staining and cosmetically less aesthetic.
2) Application with finger tip may contaminate the formulation or cause irritation when
applied.
3) As compared to solid dosage forms, semisolid preparation are more bulky to handle.
4) Though semisolid allow more flexibility in dose, dose accuracy is determined by
uniformity in the quantity to be applied.
5) Physico-chemically less stable than solid dosage form.[8]
OINTMENT BASES
The vehicle or carrier of an ointment is known as ointment base. The choice of ointment base
depends upon the nature of medicament, stability of ointment and clinical indication of the
ointment.[4]
a) Useful as emollients
b) Difficult to remove from skin
ANTIOXIDANTS IN OINTMENT
Antioxidants should be included to avoid the oxidative degradation of the base. It may be
more desirable to select two antioxidants instead of one. The concentration of antioxidants
depend upon their partition coefficients between the aqueous and oil phases if both the phases
are present in a base. Generally compounds like butylated hydroxy anisole, propyl gallate,
nor dihydroguaiaretic acid etc. are used in ointment bases.
CHELATING AGENTS
Whenever it is anticipated that traces of metallic ions are likely to catalyse oxidative
degradations small amounts of substances such as citric acid, maleic acid, phosphoric acid
etc. may be added to chelate the metallic ions.
PERFUMFES
Most ointments have a pleasant smell imparted by incorporation of selected perfume blend.
The selection of a perfume blend is a very criticle. The blends selected must be compatible
with other ingredients. Essential oils from plant materials used as perfumes. The floral group
blends such odours as jasmine, rose, lily and gardenia. The woody is group characterize by
sandal wood, cedar wood.[3]
a) Incorporation
In this finely subdivided insoluble medicaments are evenly distributed by grinding with a
small amount of the base followed by dilution with gradually increasing amounts of the base.
b) Fusion
In this method the ingredients are melted together in descending order of their melting points
and stirred to ensure homogeneity.[7]
PHYSICAL METHODS
1) Test of Rate of Absorption
In diadermic ointments, drug moves deeper in the skin tissues and finally into the systemic
circulation. Such ointments should be evaluated for the rate of absorption of drugs. The
ointment should be applied over a definite area of skin by rubbing. At regular interval of
times, serum and urine samples should be analysed for the quantity of drug absorbed. The
amount of drug absorbed per unit time should be more.
2) Test of Non-irritancy
The bases used for formulation of ointment may causes allergic reactions. Patch test is used
for evaluation of non-irritancy. 24 human volunteers are selected for this test. Observation of
type of pharmacological action is noted. No visible reaction or erythema or intense erythema
with edema and vesicular erosion should occur. A good ointment base should shows no
visible reaction.
preparation penetrated through the skin and this when divided by area and time period of the
application gives the rate of penetration of the preparation.
MICROBIOLOGICAL METHODS
1) Test of Microbial Content
Micro-organism like pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus aureus may contaminate
the preparation and finally infect the skin. So ointments should be tested for the absence of
such micro-organisms.
Solution of different samples of the preparation are made, Each sample is inoculated into
separate volume of 0.5ml of rabbit's plasma under aseptic condition and incubated at 37 C for
1-4 hours. No formation of the clot in the incubated mass indicates the absence of the micro-
organism.
3) Microbial Limits
On 14th day, the number of vegetative cells should not be more than 0.1% of initial
concentration.
On 28th day, the number of organism should be below or equal to initial concentration.[4,12]
REFERENCES
1. Leon Lachman, Herbert A. Lieberman, The Theory and Practice of Industrial Pharmacy.
K. M. Varghese Publications., 1990; 534-563.
2. Shelke Usha Y, Mahajan Ashish A., Review on: an Ointment .International Journal of
Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticle Research, 2015; 4(2): 171-191.
3. Sandhu Premjeet, Bilandi Ajay, Additives in Topical Dosage Form. International Journal
of Pharmaceuticle, Chemicle and Biologicle Sciences, 2012; 2(1): 78-96.
4. Debjit Bhowmik, Harish Gopinath, A Recent Advances In Novel Topical Drug Delivery
System. The Pharma Journal, 2012; 1(9): 12-31.
5. Clarence T. Ueda, Vinod P. Shah Topical and Transdermal Products. The United States
Pharmacopeial convention, Inc, 2009; 35(3): 750-764.
6. Topical medication, wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topical_medication
[Accessed: 17 May 2016].
7. V Manimaran lecturer, Department of Pharmaceutics, SRM College of Pharmacy,
Ointments, www.srmuniv.ac.in/sites/default/files/downloads/OINTMENTS.pdf
[Accessed: 17 may 2016].
8. The Pharmaceutics And Compounding laboratory, Ointments: Preparation and Evaluation
of Drug Release, www.pharmlabs.unc.edu/labs/ointments/objectives.htm [Accessed: 14
May 2016].