Field Of Transdermal Drug Delivery Research Articles

Nano-Formulation Approaches to Enhance Transdermal Drug Delivery-An Updated Review of Nanovesicular Carrier "Transethosomes".

Transdermal drug delivery is an attractive and patient-friendly route for administering therapeutic agents. However, the skin's natural barrier, the stratum corneum, restricts the passage of many drugs, limiting their effectiveness. To overcome this challenge, researchers have developed various nanocarriers to enhance drug penetration through the skin. Transethosomes, a novel and promising drug delivery system, have emerged as an innovative solution for improving transdermal drug delivery. Transethosomes are a hybrid of two established nanocarriers: ethosomes and transfersomes. Ethosomes are lipid-based vesicles that can accommodate lipophilic and hydrophilic drugs, while transfersomes are deformable lipid vesicles designed to enhance skin penetration. Transethosomes combine the advantages of both systems, making them ideal candidates for efficient transdermal drug delivery. They are composed of phospholipids, ethanol, and water and exhibit high flexibility, enabling them to squeeze through the tight junctions of the stratum corneum. This abstract reviews the key characteristics of transethosomes, including their composition, preparation methods, mechanisms of action, characterization parameters, and prospects. Moreover, the recent advancements and applications of transethosomes in delivering various therapeutic agents, such as analgesics, anti-inflammatories, hormones, and skincare products, are explored. The enhanced skin penetration capabilities of transethosomes can potentially reduce systemic side effects and improve patient compliance, making them a valuable tool in the field of transdermal drug delivery. In conclusion, transethosomes represent a promising platform for overcoming the challenges of transdermal drug delivery. Their unique properties enable efficient drug permeation through the skin, offering a more controlled and effective means of administering a wide range of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. This abstract highlights the potential of transethosomes as a valuable addition to the field of transdermal drug delivery and paves the way for further research and development in this area.

Innovative freeze-drying technique in the fabrication of dissolving microneedle patch: Enhancing transdermal drug delivery efficiency.

Microneedle patch (MNP) has become a hot research topic in the field of transdermal drug delivery due to its ability to overcome the stratum corneum barrier. Among the various types of microneedles, dissolving microneedles represent one of the most promising transdermal delivery methods. However, the most used method for preparing dissolving microneedles, namely microfabrication, suffers from issues such as long drying time, susceptibility to humidity, and large batch-to-batch variability, which limit the development of dissolving microneedles. In this study, we report for the first time a method for preparing dissolving microneedles using freeze-drying technology. We screened substrates suitable for freeze-dried microneedle patch (FD-MNP) and used coating technology to enhance the mechanical strength of FD-MNP, allowing them to meet the requirements for skin penetration. We successfully prepared FD-MNP using hyaluronic acid as the substrate and insulin as the model drug. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the microneedles had a porous structure. After coating, the mechanical strength of the microneedles was 0.61N/Needle, and skin penetration rate was 97%, with a penetration depth of 215μm. The tips of the FD-MNP dissolved completely within approximately 60s after skin penetration, which is much faster than conventional MNP (180s). In vitro transdermal experiments showed that the FD-MNP shortened the lag time for transdermal delivery of rhodamine 123 and insulin compared to conventional MNP, indicating a faster transdermal delivery rate. Pharmacological experiments showed that the FD-MNP lowered mouse blood glucose levels more effectively than conventional MNP, with a relative pharmacological availability of 96.59 ± 2.84%, higher than that of conventional MNP (84.34 ± 3.87%), P = 0.0095. After storage under 40℃ for two months, the insulin content within the FD-MNP remained high at 95.27 ± 4.46%, which was much higher than that of conventional MNP (58.73 ± 3.71%), P < 0.0001. In conclusion, freeze-drying technology is a highly valuable method for preparing dissolving microneedles with potential applications in transdermal drug delivery.

The mimicked cell penetration peptides of chitosan derivates with low molecular weight for transdermal enhancement studies

The biomimetic chitosan derivatives synthesized by chemical coupling of L-arginine onto chitosan with low molecular weight, named Arg-CS, which was prepared by mimicking the arginine-rich peptides, to achieve the permeability performance of Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). The physicochemical properties of the Arg-CSs were characterized via Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The thermal stability of Arg-CS was improved by approximately 80 °C, compared to the pure chitosan. The maximum cumulative amounts of aspirin for Arg-CS 4.7 k, Arg-CS 5.2 k, and Arg-CS 6.3 k were 32.85 µg/cm2, 22.98 µg/cm2, and 17.51 µg/cm2 at 8 h, respectively, presenting a phenomenon of increasing of aspirin permeation with decreasing molecular weight of Arg-CS. Arg-CS with low molecular weight was more conducive to improve the penetration of aspirin by changing the secondary structure of keratin from β-sheets to random coil. The molecular docking also suggested that Arg-CS had stronger affinity to keratin by strong hydrogen bond interactions. These results indicated that the nonirritant and thermally stable Arg-CS with lower molecular weight can be used to enhance the permeation of aspirin and applied in the field of transdermal drug delivery.

Transdermal finasteride delivery via powder-carrying microneedles with a diffusion enhancer to treat androgenetic alopecia

Androgenetic alopecia is a common form of scalp hair loss that affects men in their mid-twenties and increases with age. Finasteride (FNS) has been approved and used orally to treat androgenetic alopecia; however, systemic effects on other androgen-dependent tissues cause severe side-effects. To overcome these systemic effects and target hair follicles in the scalp only, numerous topical formulations of FNS have been developed and further combined with the solid microneedle (SMN) technique to create micro-channels in the skin, thus overcoming the skin barrier properties. However, low delivery efficiency and concerns over patient safety of SMNs remain major limitations of the treatment. In the present study, we developed a novel FNS delivery system comprising powder-carrying microneedles (PCMs), which is a patch-less and self-administered powder delivery technique that simultaneously overcomes the safety issues. This system could directly implant FNS inside the skin by encapsulating the FNS powder in the center of the PCMs. In addition, we introduced the concept of a diffusion enhancer for this system, which facilitated the dissolution and release of the implanted FNS powder to achieve its successful intradermal delivery. Using implanted FNS powder as a reservoir inside the skin, this novel system permitted sustained release of the implanted FNS powder for 3 days with only one application of FNS-PCMs. In addition, compared with the topical FNS-gel, the developed system showed a higher efficacy in promoting hair growth and increased the amount and density of hair while addressing the safety concerns. This approach has the potential to advance the field of transdermal drug delivery for any type of powdered drug in a wide variety of biomedical applications.

Transdermal Drug Delivery: Innovative Pharmaceutical Developments Based on Disruption of the Barrier Properties of the stratum corneum.

The skin offers an accessible and convenient site for the administration of medications. To this end, the field of transdermal drug delivery, aimed at developing safe and efficacious means of delivering medications across the skin, has in the past and continues to garner much time and investment with the continuous advancement of new and innovative approaches. This review details the progress and current status of the transdermal drug delivery field and describes numerous pharmaceutical developments which have been employed to overcome limitations associated with skin delivery systems. Advantages and disadvantages of the various approaches are detailed, commercially marketed products are highlighted and particular attention is paid to the emerging field of microneedle technologies.

ATRP-based synthesis and characterization of light-responsive coatings for transdermal delivery systems

The grafting of poly(hydroxyethylmethacrylate) on polymeric porous membranes via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and subsequent modification with a photo-responsive spiropyran derivative is described. This method leads to photo-responsive membranes with desirable properties such as light-controlled permeability changes, exceptional photo-stability and repeatability of the photo-responsive switching. Conventional track etched polyester membranes were first treated with plasma polymer coating introducing anchoring groups, which allowed the attachment of ATRP-initiator molecules on the membrane surface. Surface initiated ARGET–ATRP of hydroxyethylmethacrylate (where ARGET stands for activator regenerated by electron transfer) leads to a membrane covered with a polymer layer, whereas the controlled polymerization procedure allows good control over the thickness of the polymer layer in respect to the polymerization conditions. Therefore, the final permeability of the membranes could be tailored by choice of pore diameter of the initial membranes, applied monomer concentration or polymerization time. Moreover a remarkable switch in permeability (more than 1000%) upon irradiation with UV-light could be achieved. These properties enable possible applications in the field of transdermal drug delivery, filtration, or sensing.

Use of Microneedle Array Devices for Continuous Glucose Monitoring: A Review

Microneedle array devices provide the opportunity to overcome the barrier characteristics of the outermost skin layer, the stratum corneum. This novel technology can be used as a therapeutic tool for transdermal drug delivery, including insulin, or as a diagnostic tool providing access to dermal biofluids, with subsequent analysis of its contents. Over the last decade, the use of microneedle array technology has been the focus of extensive research in the field of transdermal drug delivery. More recently, the diagnostic applications of microneedle technology have been developed. This review summarizes the existing evidence for the use of microneedle array technology as biosensors for continuous monitoring of the glucose content of interstitial fluid, focusing also on mechanics of insertion, microchannel characteristics, and safety profile.

Novel Penetration Enhancers for Skin Applications: A Review

The use of topical formulation is popular over the past decade due to extensive researches made in the field of transdermal drug delivery. As a result, an increasing number of drugs are being added to the list of therapeutic agents that can be delivered to systemic circulation through the skin. Commonly available dosage forms for the topical application are creams, ointments, gels, patches etc. The therapeutic benefits of the above topical formulations are limited due to barrier property of stratum corneum (SC). The use of chemical penetration enhancers (CPEs) is one of the long standing approach to overcome the barrier property of SC. Numerous class of novel compounds have been evaluated for penetration enhancement activity, including soft enhancement for percutaneous absorption (SEPA), for example, 2 N-nonyl-1,3- dioxolanes, N-acetyle prolinate esters (such as pentyl- and octyl-N-acetyle prolinate), alkyldiloxanes (e.g., 1-Alkyl-3-b-D glucopyranosyl-1,1,3,3-tetramethyl disiloxanes), transcarbam (such as 5-(dodecyloxycarbonyl) pentylammonium-5- (dodecyloxycarbonyl) pentylcarbamate), iminosulfurane (like N-hexyl,N-benzoyl-S,S-dimethylimino-sulfuranes), capsaicin derivatives (e.g., Nonivamide), cinnamene compounds (such as cinnamic acid, cinnamaldehyde etc), terpenes (like clove and basil oil) and synergestic combination of penetration enhancers (SCOPE). We briefly describe about the anatomy of skin. Potential mechanisms of action of above novel PEs along with adverse reactions associated with traditional PEs are also considered in this review.

Iontophoretic drug delivery system: A review

Among the recent developments in the field of transdermal drug delivery, iontophoresis has emerged as a very promising tool for this purpose. Various studies have been performed on drug delivery through the skin using electric current. Iontophoresis has thereby been found to be effective in particular in transdermal protein and peptide drug delivery. This article reviews the principle, potential benefits, and applications of drug delivery based on iontophoresis. It focuses furthermore on current research and future trends in the field of iontophoretic drug delivery.