Molecular mechanism of high capacity-high release transdermal drug delivery patch with carboxyl acrylate polymer: Roles of ion-ion repulsion and hydrogen bond

Long-acting transdermal drug delivery formulations: Current developments and innovative pharmaceutical approaches

Transdermal administration remains an active research and development area as an alternative route for long-acting drug delivery. It avoids major drawbacks of conventional oral (gastrointestinal side effects, low drug bioavailability, and need for multiple dosing) or parenteral routes (invasiveness, pain, and psychological stress and bio-hazardous waste generated from needles), thereby increasing patient appeal and compliance. This review focuses on the current state of long-acting transdermal drug delivery, including adhesive patches, microneedles, and molecularly imprinted polymeric systems. Each subsection describes an approach including key considerations in formulation development, design, and process parameters with schematics. An overview of commercially available conventional (adhesive) patches for long-acting drug delivery (longer than 24 h), the reservoir- and matrix-type systems under preclinical evaluation, as well as the advanced transdermal formulations, such as the core-shell, nanoformulations-incorporated and stimuli-responsive microneedles, and 3D-printed and molecularly imprinted polymers that are in development, is also provided. Finally, we elaborated on translational aspects, challenges in patch formulation development, and future directions for the clinical advancement of new long-acting transdermal products.

Development of mabuterol transdermal patch: Molecular mechanism study of ion-pair improving patch stability

This paper aimed to prepare a Mabuterol (MAB) patch for treating asthma by ion-pair strategy to overcome the drug's thermal instability and elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the stabilization effect. The formulation factor, including counter-ion and pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), was optimized by the stability and in vitro skin permeation studies. The molecular mechanism of ion-pair stability was characterized using TGA, Raman, FT-IR, NMR, XPS, and molecular modeling. The optimized patch comprised MAB-Lactic acid (MAB-LA) and hydroxyl adhesive (AAOH) as the matrix, with Q = 126.47 ± 9.75 μg/cm2 and Fabs = 75.27%. The increased TGA (213.11 °C), disproportionation energy (ΔG = 97.44 KJ), and ion-pair lifetime (Tlife = 2.21 × 103) indicated that the counter-ion improved MAB stability through strong ionic and hydrogen bonds with LA. The remaining drug content in the MAB-LA patch was 15% higher than that of the pure MAB patch after storage for 12 months at room temperature, which was visualized by Raman imaging. The interaction between MAB-LA and AAOH PSA via hydrogen bond decreased the diffusion rate and increased the drug stability further. This study successfully developed the MAB patch, which provided a reference for applying ion-pairing strategies to improve the stability of transdermal patches.

Recent Advancement of Medical Patch for Transdermal Drug Delivery

Transdermal patches are a non-invasive method of drug administration. It is an adhesive patch designed to deliver a specific dose of medication through the skin and into the bloodstream throughout the body. Transdermal drug delivery has several advantages over other routes of administration, for instance, it is less invasive, patient-friendly, and has the ability to bypass first-pass metabolism and the destructive acidic environment of the stomach that occurs upon the oral ingestion of drugs. For decades, transdermal patches have attracted attention and were used to deliver drugs such as nicotine, fentanyl, nitroglycerin, and clonidine to treat various diseases or conditions. Recently, this method is also being explored as a means of delivering biologics in various applications. Here, we review the existing literatures on the design and usage of medical patches in transdermal drug delivery, with a focus on the recent advances in innovation and technology that led to the emergence of smart, dissolvable/biodegradable, and high-loading/release, as well as 3D-printed patches.

Log P Determines Licorice Flavonoids Release Behaviors and Classification from CARBOMER Cross-Linked Hydrogel

The dynamic drug release mechanisms from Carbomer 940 (CP) hydrogels have not been systematically explored elsewhere. This study aimed to investigate the quantitative structure−activity relationship of licorice flavonoids (LFs) compounds on their drug release from CP hydrogels based on LFs-CP interactions and drug solubility in the release medium. Ten LFs-CP hydrogels were formulated, and their in vitro release study was conducted. The intermolecular forces of LFs-CP systems were characterized by FTIR, molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation. Ten LFs compounds were classified into I (high-release capability) LFs and II (low-release capability) LFs according to the different negative correlations between drug release percent at 48 h and intermolecular forces of drugs-CP, respectively. Moreover, high-release LFs possessed significantly lower log P and higher drug solubility in the release medium than low-release LFs. All I LFs release behaviors best followed the first-order equation, while II LFs release characteristics best fitted the zero-order equation except for isoliquiritigenin. Log P mainly affect the hydrogel relaxation process for I drugs release and the drug diffusion process for II drugs release. Higher log P values for LFs resulted in higher intermolecular strength for I drugs-CP systems and lower drug solubility in the release medium for II drugs, which hindered drug release. Hydrophobic association forces in drug-CP hydrogel played a more and more dominant role in hindering I LFs release with increasing release time. On the other hand, lower drug solubility in the release medium restricted II LFs release, and the dominant role of drug solubility in the release medium increased in 24 h followed by a significant decline after 36 h. Collectively, log P of LFs served as a bridge to determine LFs compound release behaviors and classification from CP hydrogels, which provided guidelines for reasonable design of LFs hydrogels in pharmaceutical topical formulations.

Preparation of Adsorbent Based on Polyacrylate Latex Solid Waste and Its Application in the Treatment of Dye Wastewater

It is a great challenge to sustainably produce and apply water-based coatings and inks in terms of realizing the green resource utilization of polyacrylate latex solid waste (PLSW) and avoid its secondary pollution. In this paper, a kind of high value-added amphoteric ion-exchange resin (AIER) was prepared by using diethylenetriamine to amidate PLSW under the optimized conditions from a Box-Behnken design. Its adsorption and regeneration properties and the universality of the method were investigated. The results suggested that AIER possessed a high removal efficiency to anionic dyes, and the batch dye adsorption processes were endothermic and spontaneous, which is consistent with a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The penetration adsorption capacities of AIER were recorded to be 987.08 mg/g for RR239 and 1037.75 mg/g for RB5 at the optimized operating conditions of column height = 6.4 cm, flow rate = 1 mL/min, and dye solution of 500 mg/L. They were more than 200 times larger than that of commercial activated carbon when the mixture composed of AIER particle and diatomite particle (filter aid agent) was used as a fixed-bed adsorbent. Zeta potential analysis results indicated that the good adsorption and regeneration performances of AIER were mainly attributed to the presence of amino and carboxyl groups in the molecular structure of AIER. Most importantly, this method possessed excellent practicability and universality for different types of PLSW from factory wastewater. The results provide a feasible method and theoretical basis for the green resource utilization of PLSW, and the goal of "waste control by waste" was fundamentally achieved.

Recent advances in polymeric transdermal drug delivery systems

Transdermal delivery has proven to be one of the most favorable methods among novel drug delivery systems. Since drugs administered by transdermal delivery systems avoid the gastrointestinal tract, and thus avoid conversion by the liver, the likelihood of liver dysfunction and gastrointestinal tract irritation as side effects is low. Drug delivery through the skin has other advantages, such as maintaining an effective rate of drug delivery over time, a steady rate of circulation, and the benefits of a passive delivery system and diffusion. Transdermal drug delivery is achieved using patches which consist of different and specific layers. In the last few decades, many types of patches have been approved worldwide, such as medical plasters, which have been generally applied to the skin for localized diseases. Such patches can be traced back to ancient China (around 2000 BCE) and are the early precursors of today's transdermal patches. With the help of effective design, materials, manufacturing, and evaluation, a large number of drugs can now be administered using this valuable advanced technology. This study reviews different types of polymer patches, their advantages and disadvantages, and different studies related to transdermal drug delivery methods, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Different mechanisms of transdermal drug delivery system with patches are also discussed.

A molecular mechanism investigation of the transdermal/topical absorption classification system on the basis of drug skin permeation and skin retention

A transdermal/topical absorption classification system for the characterization of the systemic or local delivery of drugs is the theoretical basis for the design and evaluation of transdermal/topical formulations. A classification system was established on the basis of the in vitro and in vivo skin permeation/retention behaviors of 12 model drugs. Drug skin penetration/retention exhibited a significant correlation with physicochemical parameters (log K_O/W, molecular weight, polar surface area, and polarizability). Four representative model drugs were selected to clarify the molecular mechanisms of drug skin permeation/retention behaviors. The excellent lipid-disrupting effect and enhanced partitioning exhibited by propranolol (high permeation-high retention) and zolmitriptan (high permeation-low retention) via the formation of moderate H-bonds with skin lipids were proven by ATR-FTIR (Δν_asCH2 > 2 cm^-1), Raman spectra (ΔLPP, SPP > 0.2 nm), and X-ray scattering (lipid crystallization) and were supported by ¹³C NMR results. The low lipid miscibility of zolmitriptan (ΔH_{zolmitriptan-lipid} = 126.92 J/g) caused the low skin retention of this drug. High polarizabiltiy (α = 38.5 × 10^-24 cm³) and low H-bond forming capability (E_H-bond = 0 kcal/mol) restricted terbinafine (low permeation-high retention) in terms of partitioning (k_D-SC = 0.09). Diclofenac (low permeation-low retention) stabilized skin lipids through the formation of strong H-bonds and exhibited excessive drug-lipid miscibility (ΔH_{diclofenac-skin} = -128.73 J/g), thus restricting its skin absorption. This classification system reflects the most essential drug skin absorption characteristics and provides a theoretical basis for the design of transdermal/topical formulations.

The molecular design of drug-ionic liquids for transdermal drug delivery: Mechanistic study of counterions structure on complex formation and skin permeation

Though ionic liquids (ILs) as novel enhancers had garnered wide attention, detailed studies elucidating molecular design of drug-ILs were missing and mechanisms of their formation and skin permeation were still lacking. Herein, we systematically investigated effects of counterions structures on formation and skin permeation of drug-ILs. Firstly, effects of counterions on formation of drug-ILs were dependent on polarizability, molecular weight (M.W.) and polar surface area of counterions. It was caused by strong charge assisted hydrogen bond and van der Waals interactions revealed through FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and molecular docking, which undermined ionic interactions and reduced total interaction strength, thereby produced lower lattice energy. Then, skin permeability of drug-ILs had a good parabola relationship with M.W., polarizability and log P of counterions. The underlying mechanism was the increased drug miscibility with stratum corneum, which caused conformational disorder and phase transition of lipid bilayers characterized by ATR-FTIR, DSC and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Finally, the drug-ILs proved to be non-irritating using in vivo skin erythema analysis. In conclusion, the quantitative structure-activity relationship models based on counterions structure to predict formation and skin permeation of drug-ILs were developed, which provided basic theory for design of drug-ILs with high permeation-enhancing efficiency.

Enhanced Drug Loading in the Drug-in-Adhesive Transdermal Patch Utilizing a Drug-Ionic Liquid Strategy: Insight into the Role of Ionic Hydrogen Bonding

Though pharmaceutical polymers were widely used in inhibiting drug recrystallization via strong intermolecular hydrogen and ionic bonds, the improved drug stability was achieved at the cost of the drug release rate or amount in the drug-in-adhesive transdermal patch. To overcame the difficulty, this study aimed to increase drug loading utilizing a novel drug-ionic liquid (drug-IL) strategy and illustrate the underlying molecular mechanism. Here, naproxen (NPX) and triamylamine (TAA) were chosen as the model drug and corresponding counterion, respectively. In addiiton, carboxylic pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) was chosen as the model polymer. The drug-IL (NPX-TAA) was synthesized and characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance. The miscibility between NPX-TAA and PSA was assessed using microscopy study, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence spectroscopy, and solubility parameter calculation. In addition, molecular mechanisms of crystallization inhibition were revealed by FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, DSC, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and molecular docking. Finally, the release pattern of the high load patch of NPX-TAA was evaluated using in vitro drug release and verified by a skin permeation experiment. The results showed that drug loading in PSA was increased by 5.0 times, which was caused by the synergistic effect of strong ionic hydrogen bonding (the decreased intensity and blue shift of the O-H peak of COOH in PSA) formed between NPX-TAA and PSA-COO^- and normal hydrogen bonding (red shift of the C═O peak in PSA) formed between NPX-TAA and the carbonyl group of PSA. In addition, -NH⁺ of TAA was confirmed as the molecular basis of ionic hydrogen bonding through new peak appearance (binding energy: 400.0 eV) in XPS spectra. Moreover, high drug release percent (80.8 ± 1.8%) was achieved even at high drug loading compared with the control group (72.4 ± 2.2%). Thus, this study introduced an effective drug-IL method to enhance drug loading capacity and illustrated the brand-new action mechanism, which provided a powerful instrument for the development of a high drug loading-high release patch.