The effect of skin penetration enhancers on the transdermal delivery of pyridostigmine bromide

Abstract

In vitro skin penetration studies of pyridostigmine bromide through human cadaver skin were conducted using a diffusion cell with constant hydrodynamic conditions. The results indicate that the drug penetrates poorly through human cadaver skin. However, skin penetration enhancers such as sodium oleate, sodium lauryl sulfate, n-decyl methyl sulfoxide, and N,N-dimethyldodecylamine-N-oxide substantially enhanced the permeability coefficient of the drug through human cadaver skin. The penetration enhancement of pyridostigmine bromide could be due to increased partitioning of the drug in the skin or due to the decreased tortuosity of the porous pathway in the stratum corneum.