Effect of chemical enhancers and iontophoresis on thiocolchicoside permeation across rabbit and human skin in vitro.

The aim of this work was to study the permeation of thiocolchicoside across the skin in vitro. The effect of the chemical enhancer lauric acid and the physical technique of iontophoresis was investigated. Permeation experiments were performed in vitro using rabbit ear skin as barrier. The effect of lauric acid at different concentrations (2% and 4%) and of the vehicle (water, ethanol, or ethanol/water) was investigated. The primary effect of lauric acid was on the partitioning parameter, whereas the diffusive parameter did not change significantly. When human epidermis was used, the permeation parameters were generally lower, although not significantly different from rabbit ear skin. The data obtained with full-thickness human skin indicate that, despite the hydrophilic nature of thiocolchicoside, the resistance to drug transport is not limited to the stratum corneum, but that the underlying dermal tissue can also contribute. Iontophoresis enhanced the flux of thiocolchicoside compared with the passive control. The mechanism by which iontophoresis enhanced thiocolchicoside transport across the skin was electroosmosis. The permeation of thiocolchicoside across the skin can be enhanced using chemical or physical penetration enhancers.

Post-iontophoresis transport of ibuprofen lysine across rabbit ear skin.

The aim of this work was to study in vitro the post-iontophoresis transport of ibuprofen lysine across rabbit ear skin, from ibuprofen lysine water solutions (20-200 mg/ml and pH 6.8-7.8). Current densities of 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 mA/cm(2) were applied either continuously or for 15, 30, and 60 min followed by passive diffusion for up to 5h. The results showed a significantly higher cathodal transport compared to passive flux. Anodal iontophoresis also increased ibuprofen permeation, even though the drug is negatively charged. The application of an electric current for a limited period of time, followed by passive diffusion from the reservoir in contact with the skin, produced much higher post-iontophoresis fluxes of ibuprofen than passive diffusion. Post-iontophoresis transport of ibuprofen from lysine salt solutions linearly depended on the total amount of current applied during iontophoresis, and in the absence of background ions was independent of donor drug concentration. The reason for this behavior was the creation of a drug reservoir in the skin owing to the short period of current application.

Skin permeation of 5-methoxypsoralen from topical dosage forms.

The topical photochemotherapy of dermatoses with psoralens (PUVA therapy) requires an adequate drug level at the target site (basal epidermis) at the time of UVA radiation. The aim of this work was to enhance 5-methoxypsoralen transport to the basal epidermis, with the goal to shorten the delay between drug application and UVA irradiation. 5-Methoxypsoralen transport through rabbit skin was studied in vitro from topical formulations (water solution, gel. and emulsion). The results obtained show that the use of the emulsion increased the flux through rabbit ear skin, even if partitioning was not favorable. Additionally, the time lag was sensibly reduced, compared with the gel and solution. Furthermore, drug accumulation in human skin in vitro was determined using the thin slicing technique. Human skin accumulation profile was significantly higher for the emulsion, compared with the gel, indicating that the delay between psoralen application and UVA irradiation can be shortened.