Hydrogel-based iontotherapeutic delivery devices for transdermal delivery of peptide/protein drugs

Hydrogels were synthesized as the drug reservoir matrix for peptide-based pharmaceuticals, and the iontophoretic release and transdermal delivery of three model peptides, insulin, calcitonin, and vasopressin, from these hydrogel-based iontotherapeutic devices were investigated. The swelling behavior of polyacrylamide-type hydrogel as a function of its monomer and cross-linker concentration was studied, and a hydrogel with minimal swelling was synthesized. The release of peptides from the hydrogel matrix was found to follow a Q vs t1/2 relationship under passive diffusion conditions, which shifted to a Q vs t relationship under iontophoresis-facilitated transport. The release flux (dQ/dt) of peptides was observed to decline when the electric current was turned off and was resumed when the current was turned on, thus allowing for modulation of drug release by varying the application parameters of iontophoresis-facilitated transport. The permeability coefficients for these peptides across the hairless rat skin were evaluated using the hydrogel formulations prepared from polyacrylamide, p-HEMA, and carbopol. A rank order of vasopressin > calcitonin > insulin was obtained in accordance with the order of molecular size.