Fabrication and evaluation of gelatin cryogels for curcumin controlled release via transdermal iontophoresis

Abstract

Transdermal drug delivery system delivers a drug through skin to the desired cells. Its use is limited due to the poor drug diffusion through the outer skin layer. The aim of this work was to fabricate and characterize the gelatin cryogel matrices for the targeted transdermal curcumin delivery via iontophoresis for the breast cancer treatment. The gelatin cryogels were fabricated at various concentrations under the freeze-drying method. FTIR, SEM, STA, and BET were utilized to characterize the gelatin cryogels and curcumin loaded gelatin cryogels. The curcumin release behavior was investigated under the effects of gelatin concentrations, electric fields, pig skin permeation, and pHs. The gelatin cryogel matrices possessed the interconnected pore sizes between 56.61 μm and 129.67 μm, in which the pore size increased with increasing gelatin concentration. The curcumin percentage released from the 1.5%v/v PSG cryogel was 89.7 %, relatively higher than the 0.8%v/v PSG cryogels. Under the effect of electric fields of 3V and 6V, the curcumin release percentages from the 1.5%v/v PSG cryogel were increased to reach 94.7 % and 96.0 %, respectively. For the release-permeation of curcumin through the pig skin, the curcumin release percentages from the 1.5%v/v PSG cryogel under the electric fields of 0V, 3V, and 6V became lower at 38.45 %, 46.33 %, and 72.33 %, respectively, as the pig skin was the obstacle in the curcumin diffusion. Slightly higher release rates and amounts of curcumin from the 1.5%v/v PSG cryogel were observed at the of pH 5.5 relative to the pH of 7.4, and at the electric field of 6V relative to 0V. The effect of applied electric field was shown to shorten the delivery time from the PSG cryogel. The 1.5%v/v PSG cryogel under applied electric field 6V was shown here as a potential biobased matrix to be used in the curcumin transdermal delivery via iontophoresis for cancer treatment.