294
Views
28
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Penetration enhancer-containing vesicles (PEVs) as carriers for cutaneous delivery of minoxidil: in vitro evaluation of drug permeation by infrared spectroscopy

, , , , , & show all
Pages 1339-1345 | Received 29 Feb 2012, Accepted 03 Apr 2012, Published online: 08 May 2012
 

Abstract

Recently, we carried out a research on new liposomal systems prepared by using in their composition a few penetration enhancers which differ for chemical structure and physicochemical properties. The penetration enhancer-containing vesicles (PEVs) were prepared by using soy lecithin and different amounts of three penetration enhancers, 2-(2-ethoxyethoxy) ethanol (Transcutol®), capryl-caproyl macrogol 8-glyceride (Labrasol®), and cineole.To study the influence of the PEVs on (trans)dermal delivery of minoxidil, in vitro diffusion experiments were performed through new born pig skin and the results were compared with that obtained applying the vesicular system without enhancer (control) after pretreatment of the skin with the various enhancers. In this study, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), attenuated total reflectance FTIR (ATR-FTIR) and FTIR imaging were used to evaluate the effective penetration of minoxidil in the skin layers and to discover the influence of the enhancer on the drug topical delivery. These analytical studies allowed us to characterize the drug formulations and to evaluate the vesicle distribution into the skin. Recorded spectra confirmed that the vesicle formulations with penetration enhancers promoted drug deposition into the skin.

Acknowledgment

We thank Prof. Riccardo Stradi, University of Milan, Italy, for helpful discussions concerning the FTIR data. The authors also thank Allevado (Allevatori Associati del Parteolla) Soc. Coop. A.R.L. for kindly supplying new born pig skin.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that they do not have any direct financial relation with Gattefossè, (Saint Priest, France) and report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the contents and writing of the paper.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.