Transdermal delivery of scopolamine by natural submicron injectors: in-vivo study in pig

Transdermal drug delivery has made a notable contribution to medical practice, but has yet to fully achieve its potential as an alternative to oral delivery and hypodermic injections. While transdermal delivery systems would appear to provide an attractive solution for local and systemic drug delivery, only a limited number of drugs can be delivered through the outer layer of the skin. The most difficult to deliver in this way are hydrophilic drugs. The aquatic phylum Cnidaria, which includes sea anemones, corals, jellyfish and hydra, is one of the most ancient multicellular phyla that possess stinging cells containing organelles (cnidocysts), comprising a sophisticated injection system. The apparatus is folded within collagenous microcapsules and upon activation injects a thin tubule that immediately penetrates the prey and delivers its contents. Here we show that this natural microscopic injection system can be adapted for systemic transdermal drug delivery once it is isolated from the cells and uploaded with the drug. Using a topically applied gel containing isolated natural sea anemone injectors and the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine, we found that the formulated injectors could penetrate porcine skin and immediately deliver this hydrophilic drug. An in-vivo study in pigs demonstrated, for the first time, rapid systemic delivery of scopolamine, with T(max) of 30 minutes and C(max) 5 times higher than in controls treated topically with a scopolamine-containing gel without cnidocysts. The ability of the formulated natural injection system to penetrate a barrier as thick as the skin and systemically deliver an exogenous compound presents an intriguing and attractive alternative for hydrophilic transdermal drug delivery.     

Perspectives on transdermal ultrasound mediated drug delivery

The use of needles for multiple injection of drugs, such as insulin for diabetes, can be painful. As a result, prescribed drug noncompliance can result in severe medical complications. Several noninvasive methods exist for transdermal drug delivery. These include chemical mediation using liposomes and chemical enhancers or physical mechanisms such as microneedles, iontophoresis, electroporation, and ultrasound. Ultrasound enhanced transdermal drug delivery offers advantages over traditional drug delivery methods which are often invasive and painful. A broad review of the transdermal ultrasound drug delivery literature has shown that this technology offers promising potential for noninvasive drug administration. From a clinical perspective, few drugs, proteins or peptides have been successfully administered transdermally because of the low skin permeability to these relatively large molecules, although much work is underway to resolve this problem. The proposed mechanism of ultrasound has been suggested to be the result of cavitation, which is discussed along with the bioeffects from therapeutic ultrasound. For low frequencies, potential transducers which can be used for drug delivery are discussed, along with cautions regarding ultrasound safety versus efficacy.     

The Transdermal Patches for Site-Specific Delivery of Letrozole: A New Option for Breast Cancer Therapy

The aim of this work was to evaluate capability of site-specific delivery of a transdermal patch through determination of letrozole in local tissues disposition in female mice. After transdermal administration, the letrozole levels in skin, muscle, and plasma were 10.4–49.3 μg/g, 1.64–6.89 μg/g, and 0.35–1.64 μg/mL, respectively. However, after the mice received letrozole suspension, the drug concentration of plasma and muscle were 0.20–4.80 μg/mL and 0.15–2.38 μg/g. There was even no drug determined in skin through all experiments. Compared with oral administration, the transdermal patch for site-specific delivery of letrozole could produce high drug concentrations in skin and muscle and meanwhile obtain low drug level in plasma. These findings show that letrozole transdermal patch is an appropriate delivery system for application to the breast tumor region for site-specific drug delivery to obtain a high local drug concentration and low circulating drug concentrations avoiding the risk of systemic side effects.     

Discovery of transdermal penetration enhancers by high-throughput screening

Although transdermal drug delivery is more attractive than injection, it has not been applied to macromolecules because of low skin permeability. Here we describe particular mixtures of penetration enhancers that increase skin permeability to macromolecules (approximately 1-10 kDa) by up to approximately 100-fold without inducing skin irritation. The discovery of these mixtures was enabled by an experimental tool, in vitro skin impedance guided high-throughput (INSIGHT) screening, which is >100-fold more efficient than current tools. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the mixtures delivered macromolecular drugs, including heparin, leutinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) and oligonucleotides, across the skin. In vivo experiments on hairless rats with leuprolide acetate confirmed the potency and safety of one such mixture, sodium laureth sulfate (SLA) and phenyl piperazine (PP). These studies show the feasibility of using penetration enhancers for systemic delivery of macromolecules from a transdermal patch.     

超声介导镇痛药物透皮吸收研究进展

现阶段,临床中常用的镇痛药物多采用口服或注射给药的方式,具全身不良反应多,患者依从性差等缺点,透皮给药作为一种非侵入性给药方式,相对于这些有很多显著的优势,如使用方便,患者痛苦少等。但是,如何克服皮肤的低渗透性一直是该种给药方式发展的瓶颈。近年来,使用超声能量增强镇痛药物在皮肤上的的渗透性成为新的研究热点,各项研究发现,低频超声对药物的增透效果尤为显著。本文通过检索各国文献,对超声介导镇痛药物透皮吸收的原理,临床前试验和临床试验进行综述。     

经皮给药纳米载体及靶向系统治疗类风湿关节炎研究进展

类风湿关节炎(RA)是全世界难治性自身免疫疾病,其治疗药物虽不断发展,但病灶药物浓度达不到有效水平导致药物疗效不理想或存在各种毒副反应,因此,基于新技术、新方法研究开发针对RA的安全、高效新型制剂是必要的.研究表明,纳米技术的运用可提高药物生物利用度,经皮给药可改善口服和注射带来的毒副作用.对近年来基于经皮给药系统治疗...     

生物相容透皮给药微针治疗浅表肿瘤

复杂的肿瘤微环境导致抗肿瘤药物在肿瘤组织内递送效率低下，严重阻碍了药物对浅表肿瘤的治疗效果。生物相容透皮给药微针凭借较高的机械强度，刺穿皮肤角质层，将微针内的药物递送至浅表肿瘤组织内，提高生物利用度，改善静脉注射、口服给药的肝肾毒性等问题。本文介绍了生物相容透皮给药微针的设计及其在癌症化疗、光动力治疗、光热治疗、免疫治疗、基因治疗等领域的研究进展，对浅表肿瘤的微创、局部递药和精准、高效治疗具有重要指导意义。     

The Experimental Evaluation and Molecular Dynamics Simulation of a Heat-Enhanced Transdermal Delivery System

Transdermal delivery systems are useful in cases where preferred routes such as the oral route are not available. However, low overall extent of delivery is seen due to the permeation barrier posed by the skin. Chemical penetration enhancers and invasive methods that disturb the structural barrier function of the skin can be used to improve transdermal drug delivery. However, for suitable drugs, a fast-releasing transdermal delivery system can be produced by incorporating a heating source into a transdermal patch. In this study, a molecular dynamics simulation showed that heat increased the diffusivity of the drug molecules, resulting in faster release from gels containing ketoprofen, diclofenac sodium, and lidocaine HCl. Simulations were confirmed by in vitro drug release studies through lipophilic membranes. These correlations could expand the application of heated transdermal delivery systems for use as fast-release-dosage forms.     

Fabrication,Physicochemical Characterization,and Performance Evaluation of Biodegradable Polymeric Microneedle Patch System for Enhanced Transcutaneous Flux of High Molecular Weight Therapeutics

A revolutionary paradigm shift is being observed currently, towards the use of therapeutic biologics for disease management. The present research was focused on designing an efficient dosage form for transdermal delivery of α-choriogonadotropin (high molecular weight biologic), through biodegradable polymeric microneedles. Polyvinylpyrrolidone-based biodegradable microneedle arrays loaded with high molecular weight polypeptide, α-choriogonadotropin, were fabricated for its systemic delivery via transdermal route. Varied process and formulation parameters were optimized for fabricating microneedle array, which in turn was expected to temporally rupture the stratum corneum layer of the skin, acting as a major barrier to drug delivery through transdermal route. The developed polymeric microneedles were optimized on the basis of quality attributes like mechanical strength, axial strength, insertion ratio, and insertion force analysis. The optimized polymeric microneedle arrays were characterized for in vitro drug release studies, ex vivo drug permeation studies, skin resealing studies, and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies. Results depicted that fabricated polymeric microneedle arrays with mechanical strength of above 5 N and good insertion ratio exhibited similar systemic bioavailability of α-choriogonadotropin in comparison to marketed subcutaneous injection formulation of α-choriogonadotropin. Thus, it was ultimately concluded that the designed drug delivery system can serve as an efficient tool for systemic delivery of therapeutic biologics, with an added benefit of overcoming the limitations of parenteral delivery, achieving better patient acceptability and compliance.     

Low-frequency sonophoresis: a noninvasive method of drug delivery and diagnostics

Transdermal drug delivery offers an attractive alternative to injections and oral medications. However, applications of transdermal drug delivery are limited to only a few drugs as a result of low skin permeability. Application of low-frequency ultrasound enhances skin permeability, a phenomenon referred to as low-frequency sonophoresis. In this method, a short application of ultrasound is used to permeabilize skin for a prolonged period of time. During this period, ultrasonically permeabilized skin may be utilized for drug delivery. In addition, a sample of interstitial fluid or its components may be extracted through permeabilized skin for diagnostic applications. In this paper, we report our in vivo studies that demonstrate the principles of both of these concepts. Detailed studies on drug delivery are performed using inulin and mannitol as model drugs. Studies on diagnostics are performed using glucose as a model analyte. Applications of this technology to drug delivery and diagnostics are discussed.     

蛋白质和多肽药物长效性研究进展

基于分子生物学和重组技术的发展,蛋白质和多肽已经成为一类重要的药物,但是其稳定性差,生物利用率低,半衰期短等问题也日益受到关注。本文重点介绍了一些新的给药途径和给药系统,例如鼻腔、颊等给药途径以及黏膜给药系统、透皮给药系统、缓控释技术等给药系统的进展。综述了对于蛋白质和多肽药物进行定点突变和化学修饰,以达到增加其长效性的一些新方法。     

Topical Cream-Based Dosage Forms of the Macrocyclic Drug Delivery Vehicle Cucurbit[6]uril

The macrocycle family of molecules called cucurbit[n]urils are potential drug delivery vehicles as they are able to form host-guest complexes with many different classes of drugs. This study aimed to examine the utility of Cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) in topical cream-based formulations for either localised treatment or for transdermal delivery. Cucurbit[6]uril was formulated into both buffered cream aqueous- and oily cream-based dosage forms. The solid state interaction of CB[6] with other excipients was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and the macrocycle''s transdermal permeability was determined using rat skin. Significant solid state interactions were observed between CB[6] and the other dosage form excipients. At concentrations up to 32% w/w the buffered aqueous cream maintained its normal consistency and could be effectively applied to skin, but the oily cream was too stiff and is not suitable as a dosage form. Cucurbit[6]uril does not permeate through skin; as such, the results imply that cucurbituril-based topical creams may potentially only have applications for localised skin treatment and not for transdermal drug delivery.     

基于壳聚糖的可控缓释型微针制备与性能评价

在临床应用上,一种能够持续递送药物的微针(microneedle,MN)系统对于一些疫苗、激素类药物的递送具有重要价值。本文研究设计了一种基于壳聚糖的可控缓释型微针阵列(PVA/CS-MN),将微针贴片与药物相结合用于药物的可控长效缓释。重点研究了PVA/CS-MN的制备优化工艺,并对MN阵列外观形貌、力学性能、溶解与溶胀性能以及体外刺入性能进行了表征。实验结果表明,使用最优工艺制备的PVA/CS-MN具有良好的形貌以及力学性能,可以顺利在皮肤上打开微通道,并实现可控的溶解与溶胀功能。同时,体外透皮扩散实验表明,以抗坏血酸(l-ascorbic acid)为模型药物制备的Vc-PVA/CS-MN在1 h内即释放了约57%的药物,随后12 h内缓慢释放了约66.7%的药物,7 d后最终释放了92%的药物。PVA/CS-MN具备可控的缓释特性以及优良的药物递送效率,为药物的持续透皮递送提供了一个新选择。     

Synergistic Transdermal Delivery of Biomacromolecules Using Sonophoresis after Microneedle Treatment

Transdermal drug delivery systems have been studied as an attractive alternative to conventional delivery routes. However, the outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, acts as a primary barrier to drug delivery. A synergistic combination of microneedles (MNs) and low-frequency ultrasound (U) was used to enhance the penetration of siRNA and ovalbumin. The specific gene knockdown caused by siRNAs through the RNA interference pathway is more stable when delivered via the transdermal route. Ovalbumin, a representative adjuvant, causes a more efficient immune response in the skin because of the numerous immune cells in the skin. The synergistic transdermal delivery resulted in approximately 7 times and 15 times greater penetration of siRNA and ovalbumin respectively than in their respective negative controls, and histological analysis showed minimal invasion. Thus, as the synergistic transdermal delivery enhanced the penetration of biomacromolecules into the skin, this technique is expected to yield a promising technology for a transdermal drug delivery system.     

Fluidity enhancement: a critical factor for performance of liposomal transdermal drug delivery system

Liposomes are well known lipid carriers for drug delivery of bioactive molecules encapsulated inside their membrane. Liposomes as skin drug delivery systems were initially promoted primarily for localized effects with minimal systemic delivery. Subsequently, a novel vesicular system, transferosomes was reported for transdermal delivery with efficiency similar to subcutaneous injection. The multiple bilayered organizations of lipids applied in these vesicles structure are somewhat similar to complex nature of stratum corneal intercellular lipids domains. The incorporation of novel agents into these lipid vesicles results in the loss of entrapped markers but it is similar to fluidization of stratum corneum lipids on treatment with a penetration enhancer. This approach generated the utility of penetration enhancers/fluidizing agents in lipids vesicular systems for skin delivery. For the transdermal and topical applications of liposomes, fluidity of bilayer lipid membrane is rate limiting which governs the permeation. This article critically reviews the relevance of using different types of vesicles as a model for skin in permeation enhancement studies. This study has also been designed to encompass all enhancement measurements and analytical tools for characterization of permeability in liposomal vesicular system.     

Elastic Vesicles as a Tool for Dermal and Transdermal Delivery

The main problem in delivery of drugs across the skin is the barrier function of the skin, which is located in the outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum consists of corneocytes surrounded by lipid layers, the so-called lipid lamellae. When applying drugs onto the skin, the major penetration pathway is the tortuous intercellular route along the lipid lamellae. In order to increase the number of drugs administered via the transdermal route, novel drug delivery systems have to be designed. Among these systems are iontophoresis, electroporation, microneedles, and vesicular systems.     

Effect of physicochemical parameters on skin permeability of antihypertensive

Studies were carried out to establish a correlation of skin permeability with physicochemical parameters using five antihypertensive drugs. In vitro skin permeation was carried out in vertical type diffusion cells. When steady-state fluxes of the drugs were correlated with physicochemical properties, good correlation was obtained with the reciprocal of melting point. Weak correlation was obtained with partition coefficient, molecular weight and solubility. However skin permeability versus solubility profiles revealed an interesting trend. The initial permeation rates of the poorly water soluble drugs, prazosin hydrochloride and reserpine were higher than their steady-state fluxes and moderately water soluble drug atenolol showed more or less similar permeation throughout the entire span of the study. This trend changed gradually and reversed completely in the highly water soluble drug diltiazem hydrochloride. The study suggests that drug derivatives of low melting point and good aqueous solubility could be favorable candidates for transdermal delivery.     

Elastic vesicles as a tool for dermal and transdermal delivery

The main problem in delivery of drugs across the skin is the barrier function of the skin, which is located in the outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum consists of corneocytes surrounded by lipid layers, the so-called lipid lamellae. When applying drugs onto the skin, the major penetration pathway is the tortuous intercellular route along the lipid lamellae. In order to increase the number of drugs administered via the transdermal route, novel drug delivery systems have to be designed. Among these systems are iontophoresis, electroporation, microneedles, and vesicular systems.     

Transdermal peptide delivery

The transdermal delivery of peptide drugs, though ill-favoured by their hydrophilicity and high molecular mass, would seem very attractive from the pharmacotherapeutical and patient compliance point of view. In some cases, effective transdermal dosing has been achieved in vivo, especially with the aid of iontophoresis. This paper deals with a dodecapeptide, des-enkephalin-gamma-endorphin, of which the transepidermal permeation and the intra(epi-)dermal biotransformation were both studied in vitro. Small, though measurable, fluxes through human stratum corneum were obtained in vitro, which could be enhanced by using a skin lipid fluidizer. The half-life of the peptide, both in the epidermis and in the dermis, was surprisingly long as compared with that in human plasma. Hence, improvement of the transdermal bioavailability of the peptide will most likely be obtained chiefly by enhancing its flux (possibly through iontophoresis), intra(epi-)dermal degradation being a problem of only minor importance.     

综述——纳米材料与药物输递：经皮给药中纳米制剂与皮肤的质构效关系

皮肤是人体最大的器官,也为药物的递送提供了重要途径。经皮给药是药物以皮肤为媒介,透过皮肤吸收的途径。因此,皮肤角质层是经皮给药的最大限速障碍。纳米经皮给药系统,具有提高透皮效率、缓释性、避免药物肝首过效应、减少副作用等优点,是通过纳米制剂与皮肤组织之间的相互作用实现的。其中,纳米制剂的结构和组分与其发挥皮肤促渗效用密切相关。对纳米制剂与皮肤质构效关系深入透彻的了解,有助于新型透皮纳米制剂的设计,并利用综合手段构建安全、高效、实用的经皮给药系统。