Clindamycin peel-off mask film, an effective formulation for C. acnes treatment: characterization and microbiological activity

Clindamycin is the antibiotic of choice for treating Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) which was presented in various dosage forms such as topical solution, gel, and foam. In this current study, clindamycin was formulated as the peel-off mask gel, intending to form film, providing the drug release profile in a sustained manner leading to better antimicrobial efficacy and enabling peel-off after use. The peel-off mask gel was designed into many formulations with varying concentrations of film-forming agents. The major film-forming agent was 10 %w/w PVA that was combined with the additional film-forming agents PVP-K30 or SA. Clindamycin 1 %w/w was loaded in the selected formulations F18 (10 %w/w PVA and 20 %w/w PVP-K30) and F21 (10 %w/w PVA and 1.5 %w/w SA). The physical property evaluation of the peel-off mask gel showed that the types and concentrations of film-forming agents influenced the viscosity, spreadability, and film-forming ability. The film’s tensile strength indicating the preference of use was also determined. There was no interaction between the ingredients in the formulation evaluated by FT-IR, XRD, and DSC. The F18 and F21 formulations showed a good to very good spreadability and film-forming ability, a suitable tensile strength with a drying time of approximately 8 min, and pH 4-5. Both formulations provided the highest antimicrobial susceptibility for C. acnes compared to the blank film and the clindamycin solution indicating the potential to be developed as the new market formulation for acne treatment.