Topical Delivery of Niacinamide: Influence of Binary and Ternary Solvent Systems

Niacinamide (NIA) is the amide form of vitamin B3 and has been widely used in pharmaceutical and personal care formulations. Previously, we reported a comparative study of NIA permeation from neat solvents using the Skin Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeability Assay (PAMPA) and mammalian skin. A good correlation between NIA permeation in the different models was found. In the present work, ten binary and ternary systems were evaluated for their ability to promote NIA delivery in the Skin PAMPA model, porcine skin and human epidermis. Penetration enhancement was evident for binary systems composed of propylene glycol and fatty acids in human skin studies. However, propylene glycol and oleic acid did not promote enhancement of NIA compared with other systems in the Skin PAMPA model. A good correlation was obtained for permeation data from Skin PAMPA and porcine skin. However, data from the Skin PAMPA model and from human skin could only be correlated when the PG-fatty acid systems were excluded. These findings add to our knowledge of the potential applications of Skin PAMPA for screening dermal/transdermal preparations.