Two possible variables of the McKenzie/Stoughton blanching assay, namely amount applied to the test site and occlusion time have been investigated. Subsequently, two topical steroid preparations, Synalar cream (0,025% fluocinolone acetonide) and Betnovate cream (0,1% betamethasone 17- valerate) were extemporaneously diluted with five and six placebo bases respectively. Taking cognizance of the two possible variables, these diluted preparations were assessed in vivo using a modified version of the McKenzie/Stoughton blanching assay for blanching activity over a 14 month period. It was found that the base E45, which is slightly alkali, had the greatest effect on both preparations. In the case of betamethasone 17-valerate this base caused the conversion to the less active isomer, betamethasone 21-valerate whereas at the end of the 14 month test period it was found that the Synalar/E45 dilution contained no fluocinolone acetonide. Quantitative analysis of all the diluted preparations by high performance liquid chromatography using a reverse-phase system was performed. The data obtained from the systematic studies of the effects of varying concentrations and occlusion times were presented at the Eleventh National Congress of the South African Pharmacological Society

The current world-wide interest in transdermal drug delivery makes the prospect of valid in vitro diffusion cell methodology highly attractive. A new laboratory diffusion cell has been designed and constructed based on theoretical principles and practical permeation reports surveyed in recent literature, and has been applied to the monitoring of betamethasone 17-valerate permeation. The cell performance has been validated with respect to hydrodynamic mixing efficiency and temperature of the receptor phase. The steady-state permeation of this corticosteroid has been monitored through various synthetic and animal membranes in order to select the most appropriate media for in vitro study. The permeation of betamethasone 17-valerate has been monitored from various types of commercial and extemporaneously prepared semisolid topical formulation (cream, lotion, ointment and scalp application), through silicone membrane, human and weanling pig stratum corneum, and full thickness hairless mouse skin, and these in vitro results have been compared to data from in vivo blanching assays, using the same formulations, in an attempt to correlate the findings. This experimental methodology has necessitated the development of ancillary analytical techniques. A column-switching high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the rapid on-line clean-up and analysis of betamethasone 17-valerate contained in the various topical formulations, which minimizes sample handling and extraction procedures. The method has been modified for the analysis of this corticosteroid in the isopropyl myristate receptor phase used in the in vitro permeation experiments, and scintillation counting of tritium-labelled water has been used to verify the integrity of the animal membranes. The comparison of in vitro permeation and in vivo blanching results indicate good correlation of the data in certain instances. The closest correlations have been observed when the human stratum corneum has been used in vitro and these results are compared to data from the occluded mode of the blanching assay. The results of the porcine and murine media have also correlated with the human in vivo data, whereas the silicone membrane appears applicable only in certain in vitro experiments. The results indicate that valid, comparative percutaneous absorption data may be obtained in vitro by using a well designed, validated diffusion cell system.

The rapidly growing interest in the potential use of topical drug delivery formulations has resulted in increased use of the skin as a vital port for drug delivery. Extensive research has been conducted in designing vehicles capable of delivering a desired amount of drug to a specific site, to produce the desired pharmacological response. Rooperol tetra-acetate is a lipophilic, cytotoxic drug with the potential for use in the treatment of solar keratosis. For effective pharmacological action, delivery of the drug to the epidermal/dermal junction of the skin is required. A study of the topical penetration properties of rooperol tetra-acetate from different topical bases, each possessing different physico-chemical properties, was performed. The assessment involved a comparison of the diffusion properties under occlusive and non occlusive conditions when the drug was formulated into a gel, Cetomacrogol Cream B.P. (oil-inwater), Simple Ointment B.P. and an extemporaneously prepared water-in-oil topical cream. The in vitro experiments were conducted using polydimethylsiloxane and rat membrane mounted in a Franz diffusion cell. The topical permeation kinetics of rooperol tetra-acetate were determined by exploring the release characteristics of the active ingredient from the vehicles formulated and the permeability properties of the drug through the membranes employed. Further studies involved investigating the utilization of supersaturated systems intended to increase the thermodynamic activity of the drug when formulated into a propylene glycol/water vehicle (with and without polymer). To measure the release of rooperol tetra-acetate into the skin from a topical base it was necessary to, firstly, develop a suitable quantitative method for the analysis of the active drug in the aqueous receptor phase of in vitro diffusion cells. The second stage of product development was the design of an effective delivery system to facilitate the release of the diffusant from its base. A high performance liquid chromatographic method was utilized for the identification and quantification of the active drug. As validation is an important aspect in the development and subsequent utilization of an analytical procedure, the developed HPLC technique was validated by determining the precision, accuracy, range, limit of quantitation and sensitivity of the system. Lastly, the stability of rooperol tetra-acetate at elevated temperatures was assessed and a stability profile of the drug was generated for the three-month period of analysis. The results obtained following chromatographic analysis of the receptor phase sampled during the diffusion experiments indicate that the gel and oil-in-water formulations most effectively promoted the diffusion of rooperol tetra-acetate across polydimethylsiloxane membrane. The water-in-oil system exhibited lower flux rates and the ointment showed the least drug release. Occlusion of the topical vehicle increased the diffusitivity of the permeant from all formulations analysed. The permeation assessment results of the supersaturated systems showed enhanced diffusion of rooperol tetra-acetate across polydimethylsiloxane and rat membrane. The high thermodynamic activity existing in supersaturated systems most effectively increased the driving force for drug diffusion resulting in enhanced percutaneous penetration of rooperol tetra-acetate beyond the release and transport limitations of saturated solutions. These results provide the basis on which an effective topical drug delivery vehicle may be designed for this new drug entity.

This work was performed as a preliminary transdermal drug delivery (TDD) study to investigate the diffusion characteristics and effects of skin surfactants in vitro of four active ingredients on a poly(dimethyl siloxane) polycarbonate copolymer membrane. A Franz-type diffusion cell and various receptor solutions were used. The adhesive used was comprised of a polyisobutylene-based pressure sensitive adhesive manufactured by Adhesives Research Inc. High performance liquid chromatography was used to analyze the diffusion characteristics of these systems. In addition, the effects of two skin surfactants (sodium lauryl sulfate and dimethyl sulfoxide) on the adhesive were also investigated. Results from peel testing and thermal analysis showed that the peel strength, glass transition, and softening temperature of the adhesive was greatly reduced with the addition of the surfactants. / Master of Engineering

Cromolyn sodium (CS) is a mast cell stabilizer which has been used to treat systemic mastocytosis, allergic- and exercise-induced asthma, and allergic reactions induced by atopic dermatitis. Presently, CS is administered orally and intranasally, and with a short half-life and poor absorption, 4 to 8 doses are required daily for treatment. Developing a transdermal product for CS would eliminate such drawbacks that lead to inconsistent patient dosing and provide sustained therapeutic effects when administered via skin. Our long-term goal is to determine the feasibility of delivering CS through skin. However, a prerequisite for evaluating the performance of any transdermal system is to have a sensitive analytical method that can selectively detect and quantify the drug without any interference from compounds that may leach from skin during permeation studies. Therefore, our preliminary goal was to develop and validate such a method that can be employed for transdermal studies. The optimized liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method utilized a chromatographic separation which involved an isocratic mobile phase (10mM ammonium bicarbonate, pH 8.0, 90% and acetonitrile, 10%) at a flow rate of 0.2500 mL/min. Detection involved direct MS/MS channels with m/z 467.0255 (precursor) and m/z 379.0517 (fragment) with argon as the collision gas. CS calibrants were prepared in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.4, for validation (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, and 2.5 μg/mL). To ensure no skin interference, dermatomed porcine ear skin was minced, placed in PBS, and shaken for 15 hours to extract any possible interfering components. The extract was filtered and analyzed with the optimized LC-MS conditions. Calibrants were also analyzed over 3 days with each day examining 6 injections (20 μL) of each sample. Peak areas determined by LC-MS were used to construct calibration curves for CS and to calculate % error and % RSD to elucidate accuracy and precision of the method. Results showed CS retention time to be around 4.4 minutes with no interfering peak from skin extract, and linearity was observed between 0.1-2.5 μg/mL. Inter- and intra-day accuracy and precision of the method were within the acceptable limit of ±20% at the lower limit of quantitation and ±15% at other concentrations. Future studies will involve using the validated method for quantification of CS in skin permeation studies to investigate our long-term goal.

Microneedle (MN)-based technologies are currently one of the most innovative approaches that are being extensively investigated for transdermal delivery of low molecular weight drugs, biotherapeutic agents and vaccines. Extensive research reports, describing the fabrication and applications of different types of MNs, can be readily found in the literature. Effective characterization tools to evaluate the quality and performance of the MNs as well as for determination of the dimensional and kinetic properties of the microchannels created in the skin, are an essential and critical part of MN-based research. This review paper provides a comprehensive account of all such tools and techniques.

No / This study investigated and characterised transdermal permeation of bioactive agents from a topically applied Arnica montana tincture. Permeation experiments conducted over 48 h used polydimethylsiloxane (silastic) and human epidermal membranes mounted in Franz-type diffusion cells with a methanol-water (50:50 v/v) receptor fluid. A commercially available tincture of A. montana L. derived from dried Spanish flower heads was a donor solution. Further donor solutions prepared from this stock tincture concentrated the tincture constituents 1, 2 and 10 fold and its sesquiterpene lactones 10 fold. Permeants were assayed using a high-performance liquid chromatography method. Five components permeated through silastic membranes providing peaks with relative retention factors to an internal standard (santonin) of 0.28, 1.18, 1.45, 1.98 and 2.76, respectively. No permeant was detected within 12 h of applying the Arnica tincture onto human epidermal membranes. However, after 12 h, the first two of these components were detected. These were shown by Zimmermann reagent reaction to be sesquiterpene lactones and liquid chromatography/diode array detection/mass spectrometry indicated that these two permeants were 11,13-dihydrohelenalin (DH) analogues (methacrylate and tiglate esters). The same two components were also detected within 3 h of topical application of the 10-fold concentrated tincture and the concentrated sesquiterpene lactone extract.

No description available.

Transdermal drug delivery system has been limited to small and lipophilic drugs because skin has the intrinsic function to protect the body preventing entry of the external species into the body. In this thesis, two physical methods were studied to overcome the skin barrier in the controlled breakage of the skin barrier and to deliver macromolecules-based drugs through the skin; (1) polysaccharide dissolving microneedles and (2) micro thermal skin ablation. Polysaccharide dissolving microneedles system was designed to break the skin barrier in a minimized size with the mechanically poor material, to release them into skin with the dissolution of microneedles, and to deliver human growth hormone into the living hairless rats. Micro thermal skin ablation was designed to fabricate the device generating the energy impact with the basis of arc discharge, to transfer the energy impact on the skin, to remove stratum corneum selectively with three-dimensionally controlled manner, and to deliver hydrophilic macromolecules through skin.

Currently, biopharmaceuticals including vaccines, proteins, and DNA are delivered almost exclusively through the parenteral route using hypodermic needles. However, injection by hypodermic needles generates pain and causes bleeding. Disposal of these needles also produces biohazardous sharp waste. An alternative delivery tool called microneedles may solve these issues. Microneedles are micron-size needles that deliver drugs or biopharmaceuticals into skin by creating tiny channels in the skin. This thesis focuses on dissolving microneedles in which the needle tips dissolve and release the encapsulated drug or vaccine upon insertion. The project aimed to (i) design and optimize dissolving microneedles for efficient drug and vaccine delivery to the skin, (ii) maintain vaccine stability over long-term storage, and (iii) immunize animals using vaccine encapsulated microneedles. The results showed that influenza vaccine encapsulated in microneedles was more thermally stable than unprocessed vaccine solution over prolonged periods of storage time. In addition, mice immunized with microneedles containing influenza vaccine offered full protection against lethal influenza virus infection. As a result, we envision the newly developed dissolving microneedle system can be a safe, patient compliant, easy to-use and self-administered method for rapid drug and vaccine delivery to the skin.