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Manufacture and Drug Delivery Applications of Silk Nanoparticles
Published on: October 8, 2016
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Assessing the Potential for Drug-Nanoparticle Surface Interactions To Improve Drug Penetration into the Skin
X J Cai1, A Woods1, P Mesquida1
1Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Life Sciences & Medicine, Franklin-Wilkins Building, Kings College London , London, SE1 9NH U.K.
Molecular Pharmaceutics
|March 5, 2016
Summary
Nanoparticle surface interactions influence drug penetration through the skin. Moderate adhesion with silica nanoparticles (NanoSiO2) enhanced tetracaine skin penetration, unlike strong adhesion with carboxyl-modified polystyrene nanoparticles (NanoPSCOOH).
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Pharmaceutics
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- The mechanism by which nanomaterials enhance topical drug delivery, specifically passive skin diffusion, remains debated.
- Understanding drug-nanoparticle surface interactions is crucial for optimizing transdermal drug delivery systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of drug-nanoparticle surface interactions during topical application in enhancing percutaneous drug penetration.
- To compare the effects of different nanoparticle surface charges and drug adhesion forces on drug delivery through the skin.
Main Methods:
- Utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure the force of adhesion between a model drug (tetracaine) and two types of nanoparticles: carboxyl-modified polystyrene (NanoPSCOOH) and silica (NanoSiO2).
- Assessed percutaneous drug penetration using a topical application model, comparing nanoparticle formulations with a control (drug solution without nanoparticles).
Main Results:
- Tetracaine exhibited strong adsorption to NanoPSCOOH due to significant electrostatic interactions, which unexpectedly retarded skin penetration.
- Tetracaine showed reduced adhesion to NanoSiO2 because of weaker electrostatic interactions, leading to a 3.6-fold enhancement in percutaneous penetration compared to the control.
- Adhesion forces were quantified, with tetracaine showing 6-fold and 16-fold greater adhesion to NanoPSCOOH via methyl and amine groups, respectively, compared to a control.
Conclusions:
- The degree of drug-nanoparticle surface interaction significantly impacts percutaneous drug penetration.
- Moderate nanoparticle surface interactions, rather than strong ones, within the application vehicle can effectively promote drug penetration through the skin.
- Silica nanoparticles (NanoSiO2) demonstrate potential for enhancing topical drug delivery due to optimized drug-particle interactions.
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