transdermal drug delivery Flashcards
define transdermal drug delivery
Delivery of a drug across the stratum corneum
and into the systemic circulation
define topical delivery
Delivery of a drug across the stratum corneum and
into the deeper skin layers for local action
what are the advantages of transdermal delivery systems?
• Controlled release of drug into systemic circulation • Decrease in dosage frequency • Avoidance of liver metabolism • Increased bioavailability, administration of a lower dose • Safer –no G.I. side effects • Patient compliance
what are the limitations of transdermal drug delivery?
• Permeability barrier – Only small, lipophilic molecules can permeate through the skin • Low dose delivery – Potent molecule • Inter- and intra-patient variability in skin permeability – Wide therapeutic window • Skin irritation
what are the 3 tissue layers of the skin?
epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous fat tissue
what is the multicomponent organ the skin comprised of?
▪ Three tissue layers: epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous fat tissue
▪ Skin appendages: hair follicles, sweat glands
▪ Epidermal enzyme systems: e.g. esterases
what is the stratum corneum?
the main barrier to drug transport across the skin
how is drug removed in the skin?
• Drug removed from blood supply in dermis
▪ Concentration gradient between drug on skin surface and the dermal
vasculature –sink conditions
▪ Driving force for diffusion across the skin membrane
how does drug delivery occur in the skin?
Multi-step process of alternating partition and diffusion
▪ Dissolved drug molecules diffuse along the vehicle, towards the vehicle/skin interface
▪ Partitioning of drug from vehicle into the SC, diffusion through SC
▪ Partitioning from SC into viable epidermis, diffusion through viable epidermis (aqueous)
▪ Partition from epidermis into dermis, diffusion through dermal tissue
▪ Partition into capillaries and removal by systemic circulation
what are the other potential dates of drug delivery in the skin?
▪ “Reservoir effect” = drug binds to keratins in SC
▪ Enzymatic metabolism = drug degradation or activation (pro-drug) by skin enzymes in viable epidermis
▪ Partitioning into subcutaneous fatty layers
how does permeation occur through the stratum corneum?
“Brick and mortar” structure of stratum corneum
▪ “Bricks”: corneocytes (terminally differentiated keratinocytes)
▪ “Mortar”: intercellular lipid domain (ceramides, fatty acids, cholesterol)
what is the intrercellular pathway of the SC?
▪ Diffusion via the intercellular lipid domain
▪ Main pathway for small, uncharged, lipophilic molecules
▪ Pathlength of permeation (~ 500 μm)»_space; thickness of SC
what is the intracellular pathway of the SC?
▪ Sequential partition and diffusion across the corneocytes
▪ Pathlength of permeation ~ thickness of SC ~ 20 μm
what is appendageal transport?
▪ Significant in vivo contribution
▪ Important route for large, polar molecules and ions e.g. iontophoresis, and
vesicular structures
how do the pathways of the SC operate?
can operate concomitantly
what is the mathematical description of passive transdermal delivery?
▪ Significant in vivo contribution
▪ Important route for large, polar molecules and ions e.g. iontophoresis, and
vesicular structures
what does the diffusion coefficient D measure?
measures the diffusion speed of a molecule
what does the diffusion coefficient depend on?
▪ The viscosity of the diffusional pathlength (η)
▪ Size (radius) of diffusing molecule (r)
▪ Temperature of the skin (T)
what are the ideal therapeutic properties of a drug for passive transdermal delivery?
- Therapeutic properties
• Low daily dose (<10 mg/day)
• Short half-life (t1/2 ≤ 10 hours)
• Non-irritating or sensitizing to skin
what are the ideal physiochemical properties for transdermal drug delivery?
Low molecular weight (< 500 Daltons)
▪ D is inversely proportional to molecular size of drug
• Aqueous solubility
▪ > 1 mg/ml to be removed by blood supply
• Optimal partition coefficient K (log Ko/w = 1 to 3)
▪ Lipid solubility to diffuse across SC
• Low melting point (< 200 °C)
what are methods to increase drug diffusion via the skin?
• Alteration of K, D, Cv variables
– Increase Ksc/v of drug
– Increase D of drug across SC
– Increase Cs of drug in the vehicle
how do you make a hydrophilic drug into a lipophilic prodrug?
Attach a lipophilic functional group e.g. ester group
– Prodrug has optimal K
– Prodrug is converted to active drug by enzymes in viable
epidermis
what is cmax?
maximum solubility of drug in vehicle = saturation concentration of drug
in vehicle i.e. dissolved drug molecules are in equilibrium with solid drug
what is the purpose of chemical enhancers?
Diffuse into the skin and reversibly alter the properties of the
stratum corneum
what do chemical enhancers do?
• Increase D: disrupt the packing of the lipid bilayers
Accumulate within SC lipids
Aqueous channel formation
e.g. oleic acid, surfactants, sulphoxides (DMSO), azone, alcohols
• Increase D: disrupt protein structure
Alter keratin conformation
Proteins embedded in lipid bilayers
e.g. ionic surfactants, sulphoxides (DMSO, DMF, DMA)
• Alter K: change the solvent nature of stratum corneum
Pyrrolidones, propylene glycol, water, ethanol
what are the ideal properties with chemical enhancers?
– Pharmacologically inactive, non toxic/allergenic, compatible with drug
– Immediate & reversible effect
– Unidirectional action