High-throughput spectroscopic imaging applied to permeation through the skin

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Dermatology

Background:

• Human skin acts as a barrier, and understanding substance permeation is crucial for drug delivery and cosmetic formulation.
• Traditional methods for studying skin permeation are often low-throughput and time-consuming.
• Infrared (IR) spectroscopy offers a non-destructive analytical technique with potential for high-throughput analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a high-throughput method for studying skin permeation using Infrared (IR) spectroscopy.
• To enable direct comparison of multiple permeants and enhancers on a single skin sample.
• To validate the use of Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FT-IR) imaging for transdermal research.

Main Methods:

• Human skin samples were analyzed using Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FT-IR) imaging.
• A specialized grid was used to divide the skin surface into distinct areas for simultaneous testing.
• Each area was treated with a different combination of permeant and enhancer to study transdermal processes.
• Twelve liquid samples were analyzed for permeation through a skin sample smaller than 5 cm(2).

Main Results:

• The ATR-FT-IR imaging method successfully measured the permeation of 12 liquid samples through a small human skin sample.
• The technique allowed for the direct comparison of transdermal processes for multiple permeants under identical experimental conditions.
• The spatial resolution of the imaging technique enabled the analysis of permeation in different, defined areas on the skin.

Conclusions:

• ATR-FT-IR imaging is a powerful tool for high-throughput analysis of skin permeation.
• This method significantly enhances the efficiency of studying transdermal delivery and formulation effects.
• The technique provides a reliable platform for direct, comparative analysis of permeants and enhancers on human skin.