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The nose-brain pathway is a potential route for drug delivery as it bypasses the brain barriers. The main objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of peppermint oil in enhancing the bioavailability of intranasally administered neurotrophins like nerve growth factor (NGF). The effect of different concentrations of peppermint oil (PO) on the delivery of NGF across bovine olfactory epithelium was studied in vitro using Franz diffusion cells. Trans-olfactory epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) was measured to assess the permeability status of the bovine olfactory epithelium. The bioavailability of intranasally administered formulations in rat hippocampus was studied by carrying out brain microdialysis in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Peppermint oil at concentrations of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5% v/v enhanced the in vitro transport of NGF by 5, 7 and 8 fold, respectively. In vivo studies employing brain microdialysis in rats demonstrated that intranasal administration of NGF formulation with 0.5% PO enhanced the bioavailability by approximately 8 fold compared to rats administered with NGF alone. The bioavailability of NGF in the brain could be enhanced by intranasal administration of peppermint oil.

Purpose: An ex vivo intact toe model was developed to assess two different applicator designs for iontophoretic delivery of terbinafine into the nail only or the nail and surrounding skin., Methods: Iontophoretic permeation studies were carried out on intact cadaver toes using nail-only and nail/skin applicators with a current dose of 10 mA*min (0.5 mA for 20 min)., Results: Iontophoresis enhanced drug permeation and tissue loading with both applicators tested. Greater drug delivery was observed with the nail/skin applicator due to the additional terbinafine being delivered directly through the lower impedance skin area surrounding the nail. The concentration of drug loaded into the contact area of the nail with the nail-only and nail/skin applicator was ~13 and ~7 fold higher than their respective passive delivery levels but equivalent from each other in total drug mass delivered over the whole nail plate. In vitro release of drug from the iontophoretically loaded nails into agar suggests that a single treatment could have a prolonged effect (>50 days)., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the ex vivo toe model was useful in assessing the functionality of the different applicator designs. These results suggest that iontophoresis can significantly enhance the delivery of drugs to both the hard and soft tissues of the toe for the treatment of onychomycosis and other nail disorders.

The efficiency of low voltage electropulsation (LVE) technique for delivery of drugs and macromolecules across the skin was investigated. The in vitro studies were carried out across the porcine epidermis in Franz diffusion cells using salicylic acid and fluorescein labeled Dextran of molecular weight 10,000 Da (FD10K). LVE enhanced the transport of salicylic acid and FD10K by approximately 4-fold and approximately 2-fold, respectively over the control. The potential application of LVE in transdermal drug delivery was studied in the case of lidocaine hydrochloride. The transport of lidocaine hydrochloride was enhanced by approximately 8-fold over the control. The transport enhancement by LVE was compared with that of 1 min and 20 min constant DC iontophoresis at 0.5 mA/cm(2). Iontophoresis applied for 1 min delivers equivalent electrical dose as that of LVE (50 ms pulses for 20 min at 1 Hz) in the current set up. The transport by application of iontophoresis for 1 min was significantly less than the control (passive diffusion for 20 min). However, the application of iontophoresis for 20 min (electrical dose approximately 20-fold more than that of LVE) resulted in comparable drug transport as that of LVE. It is evident from the results of this experiment that the transdermal delivery of drugs could be enhanced by LVE which is a rather mild technique than electroporation or iontophoresis.

Transdermal bioadhesive tablets were formulated by the direct compression method and evaluated. Carboxyfluorescein (CF) was used as a model permeant. The compression parameters were kept consistent and the composition of the formulation was varied to alter the release rate of the drug from the formulations. The dosage form was evaluated for physicochemical, adherence, and in vitro diffusion parameters. The transdermal flux of the drug decreased with the increasing ratio of Ethyl cellulose (EC)/hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC). The test formulations were subjected to pharmacokinetic studies in mice. The formulations were able to maintain a steady state plasma concentration up to 12 hours. They were found to be safe for transdermal use as interpreted from skin irritation studies carried out on rabbits.