Transdermal delivery enhancement

Transdermal delivery enhancement refers to a diverse category of strategies and agents designed to increase the transport of drugs across the skin. These approaches include the use of chemical permeation enhancers (such as dimethyl sulfoxide/DMSO, or natural terpenes like camphor[3]) that disrupt the lipid or protein structure of the stratum corneum, physical methods (such as microneedles and sonophoresis), and vehicles such as vesicles, liposomes, or nanoparticles. Such enhancers do not constitute a therapeutic target in the conventional molecular sense, but rather are enablers of improved drug administration for drugs unable to efficiently cross the skin barrier[1][2][4]. These methods are crucial for drugs with poor oral bioavailability or those degraded in the GI tract, allowing for improved patient compliance, controlled release, and avoidance of first-pass metabolism. Safety considerations are important, as excessive enhancement can cause skin irritation or loss of barrier integrity[1][4].

Other names

Permeation enhancerPenetration enhancerTransdermal absorption improvementSkin permeation enhancerTranscutaneous delivery enhancementTransdermal enhancers

Disruption or fluidization of stratum corneum lipids; Alteration of protein conformation in the skin barrier; Hydration or overhydration of the stratum corneum; Physical ablation or bypassing of the stratum corneum (e.g., microneedles, sonophoresis); Establishment of a concentration gradient for transdermal movement