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Updated: May 15, 2026

Visualizing and Quantifying Pharmaceutical Compounds within Skin using Coherent Raman Scattering Imaging
Published on: November 24, 2021
Effect of small changes in natural origin-based emulsion systems on hydrocortisone skin absorption and performance: a
Ivana Pantelic1, Milica Lukic, Bojan Markovic
1Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Cosmetology, Faculty of Pharmacy.
Context:
Alkyl polyglucoside surfactants (APG) remain prominent natural origin stabilizers offering a prospect of combining satisfactory stability with mild dermatological properties and complete biodegradability.
Objective:
With the purpose of adjusting the dose to a patient's needs, dilution of commercial corticosteroid formulations is a practice which may modify efficacy uncontrolledly. The rational of the study was to investigate whether a simple change in ready-to-use bases (co-solvent addition) could address these needs in a more predictive manner.
Methods:
Hydrocortisone (HC) delivery from such emulsion systems was comparatively assessed employing two in vivo methods: the established human skin blanching assay versus skin stripping technique.
Results:
HC permeation data obtained after three dose durations showed better overall performance of the APG-stabilized bases relative to reference ones. Although the solubility study showed that all the assessed active samples retained equal thermodynamic activity, diverse HC permeation/penetration implies the importance of the applied base's colloidal structure and/or changes endured. Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) addition offered faster drug penetration enhancement, while glycerol as a moisturizing agent influenced HC penetration through the increase in skin hydration.
Conclusion:
Although the performed in vivo methods cannot be considered alternative, skin stripping technique proved to be a cost-efficient mode of percutaneous penetration assessment, providing additional information on vehicle-skin interactions.
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