Enhancement Effect of Trypsin on Permeation of Clindamycin Phosphate Through Third-degree Burn Eschar

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Wound Healing Research
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Antimicrobial therapy is crucial for wound infection treatment, but systemic drugs may not reach therapeutic levels.
• Topical antimicrobials struggle to penetrate burn eschar, a proteinaceous barrier, hindering effective treatment.
• Understanding eschar's barrier properties is vital for improving topical drug delivery in burn wounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of trypsin, a protein-degrading enzyme, on the permeation of clindamycin phosphate through burn eschar.
• To evaluate trypsin as a potential enhancer for topical drug delivery across burn eschar barriers.
• To determine the impact of trypsin treatment duration on drug permeation and lag-time.

Main Methods:

• Utilized third-degree burn eschar samples obtained during surgical debridement.
• Hydrated eschar samples for 12 hours, followed by treatment with 1% trypsin solution for 4 and 24 hours.
• Assessed clindamycin phosphate permeation using static diffusion cells at 32°C and analyzed drug concentration via HPLC.

Main Results:

• Trypsin treatment significantly increased clindamycin phosphate permeation flux by approximately 1.5 to 2 times.
• Permeation lag-time was reduced by about 2 times after 4 hours and 1.3 times after 24 hours of trypsin treatment.
• Demonstrated a considerable enhancement in drug permeation through burn eschar following trypsin application.

Conclusions:

• Trypsin effectively enhances the permeation of hydrophilic drugs like clindamycin phosphate through burn eschar.
• Protein degradation by trypsin can overcome the barrier effect of eschar, improving topical drug delivery.
• This approach holds promise for optimizing antimicrobial therapy in burn wound management.