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Published on: November 24, 2021
Cutaneous Bioavailability of Corticosteroids from Topical Formulations: a Retrospective Analysis of Data from In
Paul A Lehman1, Thomas J Franz2
1, Sumner, WA, 98390, USA. palehman@yahoo.com.
Background:
The In Vitro Permeation Test (IVPT) is a valuable tool for the study of topical pharmacokinetics of dermatologic formulations. A 45 year retrospective analysis was performed on archived percutaneous absorption data from various corticosteroids found in the author's files.
Objective:
The objective was to collate archived data on the relative bioavailability of topical corticosteroids from 15 steroids found in 62 formulations using the in vitro permeation test (IVPT) and the finite dose human cadaver skin model. Studies were conducted with and without occlusion, at different active ingredient concentrations and dose durations. Select steroids also had evaluations with vasoconstriction, and stratum corneum content by tape stripping.
Results:
The percutaneous absorption of topical corticosteroids is highly dependent on formulation, but less so on steroid concentration within the formulation, and whether the applied dose is occluded or not occluded. In addition vasoconstriction does not necessarily correlate with steroid permeation.
Conclusions:
The IVPT method demonstrates that it can characterize the topical pharmacokinetics of topical corticosteroids. Overall, this retrospective analysis of data supports the value of the IVPT method for evaluating percutaneous absorption pharmacokinetics for topical therapeutic agents.
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