Assessment of Transdermal Delivery of Topical Compounds in Skin Scarring Using a Novel Combined Approach of Raman Spectroscopy and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Objective: The goal of any topical formulation is efficient transdermal delivery of its active components. However, delivery of compounds can be problematic with penetration through tough layers of fibrotic dermal scar tissue. Approach: We propose a new approach combining high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Raman spectroscopy (RS) using a topical of unknown composition against a well-known antiscar topical (as control). Results: Positive detection of compounds within the treatment topical using both techniques was validated with mass spectrometry. RS detected conformational structural changes; the 1,655/1,446 cm(−1) ratio estimating collagen content significantly decreased (p