A study on the in-vitro percutaneous absorption of propranolol from disperse systems.

Abstract

Transdermal administration of propranolol can be used to avoid hepatic first-pass metabolism of the drug. The effect of polysorbate 80 concentration on the permeation of propranolol incorporated into micelles of polysorbate 80 in water, oil-in-water microemulsions of isopropyl myristate-polysorbate 80-sorbitol-water and oil-in-water emulsions of isopropyl myristate-polysorbate 80-sorbitan monooleate-water has been investigated by use of an artificial double-layer membrane, composed of a barrier foil and a lipid barrier, in Franz-type diffusion cells. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, with celiprolol as internal standard, was used to determine the concentration of propranolol in the receptor compartment and a logarithmic equation was used to estimate the apparent permeability coefficient of propranolol from disperse systems. For each disperse system the apparent permeability coefficient of propranolol decreased with increasing polysorbate 80 concentration. Moreover, for a given polysorbate 80 concentration the apparent permeability coefficient of propranolol increased when the disperse system was changed from emulsion to microemulsion and then to solubilized system, because of the increasing interfacial area of total disperse phase. The results show that transdermal permeation of propranolol is greater when it is diffused from solubilized systems rather than from microemulsions or emulsions.