Transpapillary iontophoretic delivery of resveratrol loaded transfersomes for localized delivery to breast cancer

Localized drug delivery to the breast tissues is an area of interest as a potential route to ensure site-specific drug delivery. Transpapillary delivery via the mammary papilla has advantages as most breast tumors arise from the milk ducts. The present study explored the plausibility of transpapillary delivery of a phytochemical, resveratrol (RVT), for breast cancer treatment. RVT was encapsulated within the transfersomes (RVT-TRF) to enable a sustained release of the drug using the biomaterial soya phosphatidylcholine (SPC). Iontophoresis was applied to further accelerate the penetration of the RVT-TRF across the mammary papilla to the breast tissue. The RVT-TRF development was optimized by the Design of Experiments (DoE) approach. The in vitro transpapillary iontophoresis study on porcine mammary papilla showed an enhanced penetration of RVT-TRF when compared to passive diffusion. The transpapillary delivery was further confirmed from the in vitro fluorescent microscopy study using FITC conjugated RVT-TRF. The optimized RVT-TRF delivered via transpapillary route showed a higher C_max and AUC when compared to pure RVT given orally. A significant reduction in the tumor volume and the serum biomarker CA 15-3, when evaluated in a chemically induced breast cancer rat model, provided evidence of the effectiveness of the developed formulation when delivered locally via transpapillary route compared to the oral route. Thus the developed RVT-TRF administered via transpapillary iontophoresis technique is a promising strategy enabling a localized delivery for effective breast cancer therapy.

Strategic consideration for effective chemotherapeutic transportation via transpapillary route in breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women and the second most common cancer overall. The current treatment option for breast cancer includes drug treatment (Chemotherapy and hormone therapy) or surgery (mastectomy and lumpectomy). The major drawbacks of chemotherapy include rapid metabolism, limited ductal exposure, lower bioavailability, higher elimination rate, undesirable side effects, and high dose of drug. Localized application of drug to breast achieves higher drug levels at the tumor site and reduces systemic drug distribution. Permeation of drug by local application is mainly by transepidermal and transductal routes. The multiple duct openings of mammary papilla provide a higher permeable surface for transport of drug. Various formulation approaches like conjugated nanocarriers, microemulsion, nanoemulsion, liposomes, microneedles and iontophoresis are used to achieve a tailored and targeted drug delivery to underlying breast tissue. Localized transport of drug via transpapillary route has developed a novel and effective non-invasive drug delivery approach to achieve a systemic drug level at the tumor site in the management of breast cancer.