Influence of sonophoresis on transdermal drug delivery of hydrophilic compound-loaded lipid nanocarriers

Abstract

The effect of sonophoresis on the transdermal drug delivery of sodium fluorescein (NaFI)-loaded lipid nanocarriers such as liposomes (LI), niosomes (NI) and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) was investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that SN decreased the skin penetration of NaFI-loaded SLN (6.32-fold) and NI (1.79-fold), while it increased the penetration of NaFI-loaded LI (5.36-fold). CLSM images showed the red fluorescence of the LI and NI bilayer on the superficial layer of the stratum corneum. However, the red fluorescent probe of the SLN was not visualized in the skin. FTIR results of the LI and NI with SN showed no effect on lipid stratum corneum ordering, suggesting that the fragment of bilayer vesicles might repair the damaged skin. For SLN, the strengthening of stratum corneum by covering the disrupted skin with solid lipids was shown. SEM images show disrupted carriers of all the formulations adsorbed onto the damaged skin. In conclusion, the SN changed the properties of both the skin surface and lipid nanocarrier, demonstrating that disrupted skin might be repaired by a disrupted nanocarrier.

Keywords:

• Liposomes
• niosomes
• solid lipid nanoparticles
• hydrophilic compound
• sonophoresis
• skin penetration

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Division of Medical Molecular Biology (Department of Research and Development, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University) for providing the confocal laser scanning microscope (LSM 510 Meta, Zeiss, Jena, Germany).

Disclosure statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Funding

This work was supported by Thailand Research Funds through the Royal Golden Jubilee PhD Program [Grant No. PHD/0091/2554] and Basic Research Grant [Grant No. 5680016].