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Ion Pairs for Transdermal and Dermal Drug Delivery: A Review
Mignon Cristofoli1, Chin-Ping Kung2, Jonathan Hadgraft2
1School of Human Sciences, London Metropolitan University, 166-220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB, UK.
Ion pairing enhances topical drug delivery by forming neutral complexes that improve skin permeation. This strategy can also control or prevent drug penetration and stabilize formulations, offering versatile applications in drug delivery.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Drug Delivery
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Ion pairing is a technique to enhance the topical permeation of ionized drugs.
- Ion pairing involves the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions, forming a neutral complex.
- This neutral complex exhibits increased lipid solubility, facilitating partitioning into biological membranes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the diverse applications of ion pairing in topical and transdermal drug delivery.
- To consolidate common strategies for utilizing ion pairing in formulation development.
- To inform future research and development of advanced drug delivery systems.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on ion pairing in drug delivery.
- Analysis of factors influencing ion pair formation and properties (e.g., temperature, ion size, dielectric constant, counter ion structure).
- Examination of ion pairing's role in modulating drug permeation and formulation stability.
Main Results:
- Organic counter ions are generally more effective than inorganic ones for ion pair formation.
- Ion pairing can be employed to increase, decrease, or control drug permeation.
- Ion pairs have shown utility in stabilizing solid lipid nanoparticle formulations.
Conclusions:
- Ion pairing is a versatile strategy with significant potential in topical and transdermal drug delivery.
- Understanding the interplay of physicochemical factors is crucial for optimizing ion pairing formulations.
- This review provides a foundation for developing novel ion pairing-based drug delivery systems.
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