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

Overview

Journal Pharmaceutics

Publisher MDPI

Date 2024 Oct 26

PMID 39458631

Authors

Christian Raab

Stefan Brugger

Jara-Sophie Lechner

Geisa Nascimento Barbalho

Tais Gratieri

Priyanka Agarwal

Ilva D Rupenthal

Cornelia M Keck

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Methods: Several formulation principles were explored, including oily solutions, oily suspensions, aqueous nanosuspension, micelles, liposomes and cyclodextrins. The dermal penetration efficacy was tested using an ex vivo porcine ear model previously developed at Philipps-Universität Marburg with subsequent digital image processing. This image analysis method was further applied to study corneal penetration using an ex vivo porcine whole-eye model.

Results: For dermal penetration, oily solutions, oily suspensions and nanosuspensions exhibited the least penetration, whereas liposomes and cyclodextrins showed enhanced penetration. Corneal curcumin penetration correlated with dermal penetration, with curcumin loaded into cyclodextrins penetrating the deepest.

Conclusions: Overall, our study suggests that the image analysis method previously developed for ex vivo skin penetration can easily be repurposed to study corneal penetration of hydrophobic drugs.

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