Status of fatty acids as skin penetration enhancers-a review

Novel techniques for drug delivery have been investigated in human medicine in recent years. The transdermal route of drug delivery has attracted researchers due to many biomedical advantages associated with it. However, excellent impervious nature of skin is the greatest challenge that has to be overcome for successfully delivering drug molecules to the systemic circulation by this route. One long-standing approach for improving transdermal drug delivery uses penetration enhancers (also called sorption promoters or accelerants) that can reversibly compromise the skin's barrier function and consequently allow the entry of otherwise poorly penetrating molecules into the membrane and through to the systemic circulation. A large number of fatty acids have been used as permeation enhancers. They have proven to be effective and safe sorption promoters. This present review includes the classification, feasibility and application of fatty acids as sorption promoters for improved delivery of drug through skin.