Utilizing an Ex Vivo Skin Penetration Analysis Model for Predicting Ocular Drug Penetration: A Feasibility Study with...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Pharmaceutics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Assessing drug penetration through biological barriers like the cornea is crucial for developing effective treatments.
• Hydrophobic drugs present formulation challenges for achieving adequate bioavailability.
• Digital image processing offers a potential method for semi-quantitative analysis of drug penetration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of using a digital image processing technique for studying corneal drug penetration.
• To investigate various formulation strategies for enhancing the dermal and corneal bioavailability of curcumin, a model hydrophobic drug.
• To adapt a previously developed digital image analysis method for ex vivo skin penetration to an ex vivo corneal penetration model.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of formulation strategies including oily solutions, suspensions, nanosuspensions, micelles, liposomes, and cyclodextrins.
• Testing dermal penetration efficacy using an established ex vivo porcine ear model with digital image processing.
• Application of the digital image analysis method to study corneal penetration in an ex vivo porcine whole-eye model.

Main Results:

• For dermal penetration, oily solutions, suspensions, and nanosuspensions showed minimal penetration.
• Liposomes and cyclodextrins demonstrated enhanced dermal penetration.
• Corneal penetration of curcumin correlated with dermal penetration, with cyclodextrin formulations achieving the deepest penetration.

Conclusions:

• The digital image analysis method, initially developed for ex vivo skin penetration, is readily adaptable for studying corneal penetration.
• Formulation strategies significantly impact the corneal penetration of hydrophobic drugs.
• Cyclodextrins represent a promising formulation approach for enhancing corneal drug delivery.