Skin integrity testing and monitoring of in vitro tape stripping by capacitance-based sensor imaging.

BACKGROUND: Despite the frequent use of porcine ear skin for tape-stripping experiments, the peculiarities of this skin type have not been characterised in detail yet. Thus, different techniques were employed to investigate the skin surface structure of porcine ear skin and the changes in barrier function during in vitro tape stripping. To this end, the potential of capacitance-based skin hydration imaging as a means of skin quality control was investigated for the first time. METHODS: The porcine ear model was characterised before and during tape stripping using transepidermal water loss (TEWL) measurements, capacitance-based sensor imaging, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and optical light microscopy. RESULTS: The capacitance-based sensor was found to deliver precise information about the quality of the employed skin sites before and during tape stripping. The removal of stratum corneum proteins was highly reproducible even for different porcine ear types. The mean greyscale values showed an excellent linear correlation to the corresponding TEWL values and the respective penetration depth. Optical light microscopy confirmed the presence of canyons on the surface of porcine ear skin. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the capacitance-based sensor is a suitable tool for skin integrity testing of porcine ear skin in vitro and for monitoring changes in skin barrier function.

Comparison of ATR-FTIR spectra of porcine vaginal and buccal mucosa with ear skin and penetration analysis of drug and vehicle components into pig ear.

In the present study, porcine buccal and vaginal mucosae were successfully characterised by ATR-FTIR for the first time and compared to porcine ear skin. By analysing typical bands of the spectra, the structure of proteins and the lipid matrix were elucidated. According to the body site, differences in membrane permeability were detected when analysing the CH2-stretching and -scissoring vibrations. The results indicated a higher permeability for porcine vaginal and buccal tissue compared to skin. Furthermore, the influence of a lecithin-based microemulsion on the barrier properties of the above mentioned tissues was investigated by ATR-FTIR; the results revealed structural changes in all tissues. In addition, the ATR-FTIR technique was employed to semi-quantitatively analyse compounds directly on skin. To this end, tape stripping experiments were performed with a deuterated liposomal drug delivery system containing the model drug flufenamic acid. While the amount of penetrated deuterated liposomes was determined directly on skin samples by ATR-FTIR, the drug amount was analysed by HPLC after extraction of the tape strips since higher sensitivity was achieved in this fashion. Thus, it was possible to monitor the skin penetration of drug and vehicle simultaneously. Interestingly, the results indicated an independent drug penetration after release from the liposomal carrier system.

Application of quantitative (19) F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in tape-stripping experiments with natural microemulsions.

The skin penetration of flufenamic acid (Fluf) and fluconazole (Fluc) from innovative natural microemulsions was investigated in tape-stripping experiments on pig ears. The formulations were based on the eudermic surfactants lecithin, sucrose laurate, alkylpolyglycoside or a mixture thereof. The quantification of the penetrated drug amounts was executed by (19) F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in comparison with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The data obtained by the (19) F NMR method were confirmed by additional quantitative studies using HPLC. An excellent linear correlation was found for Fluf as well as for Fluc between (19) F NMR and HPLC data. This work presents a strategy outlining the use of (19) F NMR to selectively monitor the skin penetration routes of fluorinated compounds. Fluc penetrated generally well into the stratum corneum with the significantly highest amounts from the sucrose laurate microemulsion on the tape strips 1-5. Similarly, the highest amounts of penetrated Fluf could be observed from the formulation based on sucrose laurate. In addition, NMR self-diffusion studies were conducted and revealed a bicontinuous microstructure of the investigated microemulsions. The skin penetration results are in good agreement with the obtained (19) F NMR self-diffusion coefficients of the active compounds in the microemulsion systems.

Ultra-small NLC for improved dermal delivery of coenyzme Q10.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) acts as an antioxidant in the skin and is frequently contained in anti-aging products. In previous studies, it could be shown that nano-structured lipid carriers (NLC) with a size of about 230 nm are beneficial for the dermal delivery of CoQ10. They increased Q10 skin penetration when compared to equally sized nanoemulsion. In this study, ultra-small NLC were prepared with even smaller mean particles sizes of around 80 nm. The influence of this decrease of particle size was investigated in terms of skin permeation and penetration as well as physicochemical stability of the NLC. Improved dermal delivery of CoQ10 by ultra-small NLC could be achieved.

Optimisation of multiple W/O/W nanoemulsions for dermal delivery of aciclovir.

In the present study multiple W/O/W nanoemulsions were optimised for the dermal application of the antiviral drug aciclovir. The phase inversion temperature method was employed to prepare the formulations without the input of high pressure. During formulation design the ethoxylated surfactants were varied and if possible partly replaced by natural sugar surfactants. Multiple nanoemulsions with mean droplet sizes around 100 nm and polydispersity indices below 0.1 were prepared. At room temperature, they exhibited excellent physicochemical stability over an observation period of 6 months. Furthermore, cryo electron microscopy gave an insight into the microstructure of the multiple nanoemulsions. Moreover, the formulations' interaction with skin was analysed by ATR-FTIR. In Franz-type diffusion cell and tape stripping experiments aciclovir showed satisfying skin permeation from the novel nanoemulsions.

Nanocarriers for dermal drug delivery: influence of preparation method, carrier type and rheological properties.

Nanocarriers are highly interesting delivery systems for the dermal application of drugs. Based on a eudermic alkylpolyglycosid nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nano-structured lipid carriers (NLC) were prepared by ultrasonic dispersion. The ultrasound preparation technique turned out to be convenient and rapid. For reasons of comparison, nanoemulsions were also prepared by high-pressure homogenisation with highly similar physicochemical properties. Cryo electron microscopy was employed to elucidate the microstructure of the ultrasound-engineered nanocarriers. Furthermore, in vitro skin experiments showed excellent skin permeation and penetration properties for flufenamic acid from all formulations. Moreover, ATR-FTIR studies revealed barrier-restorative properties for NLC and SLN. Furthermore, the rheological characteristics of all nanocarriers were determined. In order to increase the viscosity, three different polymers were employed to also prepare semi-solid NLC drug delivery systems. All of them exhibited comparable skin diffusion properties, but may offer improved dermal applicability.

Natural microemulsions: formulation design and skin interaction.

Microemulsions are thermodynamically stable, colloidal drug delivery systems. This study presents the first substantiated comparison of natural, skin-compatible and biodegradable surfactants in terms of their suitability to form isotropic microemulsions and their skin interaction. Pseudoternery phase diagrams were constructed for lecithin, sucrose laurate and alkylpolyglycoside as single surfactants. Moreover, also mixed surfactant films of lecithin and alkylpolyglycoside as well as lecithin and sucrose laurate were tested. Large isotropic areas could be identified for lecithin, sucrose laurate and lecithin-sucrose laurate. One defined composition was chosen from the pseudoternery phase diagram, prepared with all investigated surfactants and 1:1 surfactant mixtures, respectively, and analysed for their effect on the stratum corneum on a molecular level by ATR-FTIR. Significantly higher frequency values of the symmetric and asymmetric CH(2)-stretching bands compared to the control were recorded for all microemulsions, indicating a hexagonal arrangement of the lipid chains. A similar trend was observed for the lateral packing of the alkyl chains as suggested by the shift of the CH(2)-scissoring bands. Moreover, diffusion cell experiments using porcine skin were performed with the two model drugs flufenamic acid and fluconazole. In both cases, the lecithin-based microemulsions showed the highest permeation rates followed by the alkylpolyglycoside-lecithin microemulsions.

In vitro vs. in vivo tape stripping: validation of the porcine ear model and penetration assessment of novel sucrose stearate emulsions.

Porcine ear skin is frequently used as a substitute for human skin in dermatological research and is especially useful for tape stripping experiments where the penetration of active substances into the uppermost skin layers is investigated. However, certain differences between the surface properties of these skin types exist, and reports on the comparability of tape stripping data obtained in vitro using porcine ear skin and data obtained in vivo on human forearm skin are scarce. Thus, we performed comparative tape stripping experiments in which the skin penetration of curcumin and fluorescein sodium from conventional microemulsions and hydrogels was investigated. In this context, the skin penetration potential of novel semi-solid macroemulsions and fluid nanoemulsions based on sucrose stearate was evaluated as well. The removed corneocytes were quantified by NIR-densitometry using recent correlation data for human and porcine proteins. The trends observed for the skin penetration into porcine ear skin were highly representative for the in vivo situation on human skin, confirming that the porcine ear is an excellent in vitro model for tape stripping experiments. Moreover, the validity of the NIR-densitometric approach for the quantification of both human and porcine stratum corneum proteins was confirmed in this study for the first time.

Decrease of liposomal size and retarding effect on fluconazole skin permeation by lysine derivatives.

Liposomes are ideal dermal drug delivery systems because of their ability to alter the biodistribution profile of incorporated drugs. In a novel approach to optimize the liposomal microstructure, lysine derivatives were employed. The effect of the oligopeptides Lys-5 and Lys-7 on the structure as well as on the skin permeation of the antimycotic drug fluconazole in 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine vesicles was studied using a variety of techniques. It was demonstrated by addition of the shift reagent praseodymium(III)chloride and subsequent (31)P NMR measurements that the liposomes produced consisted mainly of unilamellar vesicles. This was confirmed by cryo-transmission electron microscopy. The addition of Lys-5 and Lys-7 induced a structural change resulting in a decrease in particle size between 10% and 40% and a retarding effect on fluconazole skin permeation.

Semi-solid Sucrose Stearate-Based Emulsions as Dermal Drug Delivery Systems.

Mild non-ionic sucrose ester surfactants can be employed to produce lipid-based drug delivery systems for dermal application. Moreover, sucrose esters of intermediate lipophilicity such as sucrose stearate S-970 possess a peculiar rheological behavior which can be employed to create highly viscous semi-solid formulations without any further additives. Interestingly, it was possible to develop both viscous macroemulsions and fluid nanoemulsions with the same chemical composition merely by slight alteration of the production process. Optical light microscopy and cryo transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the sucrose ester led to the formation of an astonishing hydrophilic network at a concentration of only 5% w/w in the macroemulsion system. A small number of more finely structured aggregates composed of surplus surfactant were likewise detected in the nanoemulsions. These discoveries offer interesting possibilities to adapt the low viscosity of fluid O/W nanoemulsions for a more convenient application. Moreover, a simple and rapid production method for skin-friendly creamy O/W emulsions with excellent visual long-term stability is presented. It could be shown by franz-cell diffusion studies and in vitro tape stripping that the microviscosity within the semi-solid formulations was apparently not influenced by their increased macroviscosity: the release of three model drugs was not impaired by the complex network-like internal structure of the macroemulsions. These results indicate that the developed semi-solid emulsions with advantageous application properties are highly suitable for the unhindered delivery of lipophilic drugs despite their comparatively large particle size and high viscosity.