Novel colchicine ethosomes cataplasm for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis

Yao-Yao Wei; Yang Zhang; Xue Lu; Jie Zhou; Huang-Wei Cheng; Yuan-Yuan Liu; Hua Zhang; Wen Chen

doi:10.1016/j.colsurfb.2025.114776

Novel colchicine ethosomes cataplasm for the treatment of acute gouty arthritis

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2025 May 13:254:114776. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2025.114776. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yao-Yao Wei¹, Yang Zhang², Xue Lu³, Jie Zhou⁴, Huang-Wei Cheng⁵, Yuan-Yuan Liu⁶, Hua Zhang⁷, Wen Chen⁸

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China. Electronic address: 1623643455@qq.com.
² Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China. Electronic address: 3121253819@qq.com.
³ Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China. Electronic address: 3272767038@qq.com.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China. Electronic address: 1209922171@qq.com.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China. Electronic address: 3236450025@qq.com.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China. Electronic address: 1960455748@qq.com.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Monitoring and Pollutant Control of Xinjiang Bingtuan, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shihezi University, Xinjiang 832003, China. Electronic address: zh_pha@shzu.edu.cn.
⁸ Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China. Electronic address: 6296199@qq.com.

PMID: 40381290
DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2025.114776

Abstract

Gout is a disease caused by the deposition of sodium urate (MSU) crystals in the joints and tissues. Colchicine (COL) has become the first-line drug for the treatment of acute gout due to its low price and efficacy. However, colchicine is highly cytotoxic and oral administration is prone to cause severe adverse effects on the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidney. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a novel dermal delivery formulation for addressing the safety concerns of this drug. The researchers used ethosomes encapsulation technology to improve the skin permeability of COL. In addition, in order to improve the performance of the ethosomes, it was screened and determined that the addition of 1.0-1.5 mg of ceramide III (Cer3) per mL of ethosomes as a modifier could significantly enhance the stability of the ethosomes, Cer3/COL-ethosomes (CCE) were successfully constructed. The CCE was then mixed with a cataplasm matrix to produce a colchicine-carrying CCE cataplasm, which demonstrated the superimposed effect of the advantages of the two dosage forms, the ethosomes and the cataplasm. Compared with the traditional delivery method of COL, this topical formulation is an attractive alternative for the treatment of gout as it can achieve effective blood levels without causing fluctuations in blood levels, and has good efficacy and higher safety profile.

Keywords: Cataplasm; Colchicine; Ethosomes; Gout; Pharmacodynamics.