Different types of bases have been suggested for sulphonamide ointments. BA_~D~LI~ (1949), working with sulphanilamide and sulphathiazole, reported that O/W type ointment bases were more efficient than W/O and hydrocarbon water free ointment bases. Similar results were found by Wood (1953), using a number of antiseptics such as phenol and benzoic acid.
The incorporation of emulsifying agents into ointments was shown to improve the release of sulpha drugs such as sulphathiazole and sulphanilamide HUYCK (1946), ALD~ICE (1945), and sulphadiazine (LEVY 1949). Such findings were also obtained, using other drugs such as hexetidine, and yellow mercuric oxide SASKI (1965), MACDONALD (1948).
It was indicated in a previous work that sulphanilamide could be solubilised by nonionic surface active agent of the polyoxyethylene type KEAWA~ (1964KEAWA~ ( , 1965)). Furthermore the antibacterial activity of sulphanflamide, in presence of these solubilisers, was also evaluated (u and K~AWA~, in print).
The objective of the present work is to study the diffusion of sulphanflamide from ointments containing different solubflisers. The influence of hydrophfle-lipophile balance (HLB) of the nonionic surfactants on the release of the drug is also investigated.