Abstract
Sinomenine hydrochloride-loaded dissolving microneedles (SH-DM) were fabricated by maltose and poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid using a casting method. The mechanical strength of SH-DM was investigated by an insertion test. In vivo transdermal absorption experiment was performed to evaluate the percutaneous absorption of SH-DM, sinomenine hydrochloride gel (SH-G) was used as a control. The results demonstrated that prepared SH-DM was morphologically intact with sufficient mechanical strength after inserting into aluminum foil and rat skin. The value of area under curve obtained after administration of SH-DM through transdermal in rabbits showed a significantly rise and was 1.99 times higher than that of SH-G, and the relative bioavailability value was 199.21%. These results showed that SH-DM enhanced bioavailability and permeability of SH.
Declaration of interest
The authors report that there is no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for this work. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81274099), the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province (No. 11040606M219) and the Natural Science Foundation of the Anhui Higher Education Institutions of China (No. KJ2012A184).