Deep Eutectic Solvents for Improving the Solubilization and Delivery of Dapsone.

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Growing environmental concerns drive the adoption of safer, eco-friendly solvents in pharmaceuticals.
• Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) offer advantages over traditional organic solvents as non-aqueous liquid administration vehicles due to lower toxicity and handling risks.
• Transdermal drug delivery systems are gaining attention for their ease of use and patient acceptability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of two specific DESs as enhancers for the solubility and topical delivery of dapsone, a Class IV drug.
• To explore the interactions between DES components and dapsone at a molecular level.
• To evaluate the efficacy of DESs in improving drug diffusion and permeation for topical administration.

Main Methods:

• Preparation and characterization of two DESs using choline chloride as a hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and ascorbic acid or propylene glycol as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs).
• Analysis of drug-DES interactions using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR).
• In vitro diffusion and permeability studies using a Franz cell to assess drug transport enhancement.

Main Results:

• The formation of hydrogen bonds between the DES components and dapsone was confirmed through DSC, FT-IR, and NMR analyses.
• DESs significantly enhanced the solubility and topical delivery of dapsone.
• Diffusion and permeability studies demonstrated increased drug permeation, indicating enhanced transdermal delivery.

Conclusions:

• The studied DESs are effective dissolution and permeation enhancers for dapsone.
• DESs hold significant promise for developing advanced and effective topical drug delivery systems.
• The use of DESs aligns with the trend towards greener and safer pharmaceutical formulations.