Vehicles based on a sugar surfactant: Colloidal structure and its impact on in vitro/in vivo hydrocortisone permeation

An emerging class of natural surfactants, named alkylpolyglucosides, which can form both, the thermotropic and the lyotropic liquid crystalline phases, were focused. The aim of the study was to integrate some physicochemical properties (characterised through the polarization and transmission electron microscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis and rheology) of the three formulations based on cetearyl glucoside and cetearyl alcohol, with the in vitro (the artificial skin constructs) and in vivo bioavailability of hydrocortisone (HC), in comparison with a standard pharmacopoeial vehicle. The parameters measured in vivo were erythema index (an instrumental human skin blanching assay), transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and stratum corneum hydration. A complex colloidal structure of lamellar liquid crystalline and lamellar gel crystalline type was deduced for sugar surfactant-based vehicles. In dependence on surfactant/water/oil ratio, several thermodinamically variable fractions of water were predicted. Rheological profile of the vehicle appeared to influence the in vitro profile of permeation. A surplus of total amount of drug permeated in vitro from the alkylpolyglucoside-based vehicles coincided with the more pronounced increase of TEWL and less marked blanching action of HC from the selected alkylpolyglucoside-based vehicle tested in vivo, related to the pharmacopoeial one. These findings imply an enhanced delivery of HC from this vehicle and its putative penetration enhancing effect, probably dependent on specific distribution of the vehicle's inherent water.     

Development of a drug-in-adhesive patch combining ion pair and chemical enhancer strategy for transdermal delivery of zaltoprofen: pharmacokinetic,pharmacodynamic and in vitro/in vivo correlation evaluation

The aim of the study was to develop a drug-in-adhesive patch system for transdermal delivery of zaltoprofen (ZAL). The formulation was designed in combination with the ion pair and chemical enhancer strategy. Seven organic amines were chosen as counter ions, and the prepared ion pairs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The in vivo pharmacokinetic performance of ZAL was studied on rabbits following transdermal and intravenous administration. A deconvolution method was applied to determine the correlation between the in vitro permeation and the in vivo absorption. Acetic acid-induced writhing response was conducted on mice to evaluate the analgesic effect. In vitro permeation results showed that both ion pairs and chemical enhancers were effective in modulating ZAL skin permeation from patches. The enhancement ratio was negatively correlated to the polar surface area (PSA) of counter ions, and was positively correlated to the octanol–water partition coefficient (log K_o/w) of chemical enhancers, respectively. The optimized formulation contained 10% (w/w) ZAL-triethylamine and 10% (w/w) isopropyl myristate, with DURO-TAK® 87-4098 as the pressure sensitive adhesive matrix. Furthermore, the in vitro permeation data were well correlated with the in vivo absorption data. The analgesic effect of the optimized patch was comparable to the commercial indometacin plasters. In conclusion, it was feasible for transdermal delivery of ZAL by the synergistic action of ion pair and chemical enhancer, and the in vitro permeation data were indicative of the in vivo performance for the developed patches.     

Accounting for data variability,a key factor in in vivo/in vitro relationships: application to the skin sensitization potency (in vivo LLNA versus in vitro DPRA) example

When searching for alternative methods to animal testing, confidently rescaling an in vitro result to the corresponding in vivo classification is still a challenging problem. Although one of the most important factors affecting good correlation is sample characteristics, they are very rarely integrated into correlation studies. Usually, in these studies, it is implicitly assumed that both compared values are error‐free numbers, which they are not. In this work, we propose a general methodology to analyze and integrate data variability and thus confidence estimation when rescaling from one test to another. The methodology is demonstrated through the case study of rescaling the in vitro Direct Peptide Reactivity Assay (DPRA) reactivity to the in vivo Local Lymph Node Assay (LLNA) skin sensitization potency classifications. In a first step, a comprehensive statistical analysis evaluating the reliability and variability of LLNA and DPRA as such was done. These results allowed us to link the concept of gray zones and confidence probability, which in turn represents a new perspective for a more precise knowledge of the classification of chemicals within their in vivo OR in vitro test. Next, the novelty and practical value of our methodology introducing variability into the threshold optimization between the in vitro AND in vivo test resides in the fact that it attributes a confidence probability to the predicted classification. The methodology, classification and screening approach presented in this study are not restricted to skin sensitization only. They could be helpful also for fate, toxicity and health hazard assessment where plenty of in vitro and in chemico assays and/or QSARs models are available. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.