GP1 Organogel as a vehicle in transdermal and topical drug delivery

Abstract

The skin hinders the widespread use of transdermal drug delivery (TDD) in drug administration. Despite the different strategies devised and employed to reversibly overcome the skin barrier, TDD is restricted to potent, low molar mass therapeutic agents. As most drugs would not be able to penetrate the skin in a sufficient quantity to reach the desired therapeutic level, chemical penetration enhancers are commonly used to breach the skin barrier and increase drug permeation. Among the different classes of chemicals investigated, terpenes (constituents of plant essential oils) were found to be effective enhancers for hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs. An appropriate terpene dispersed in an organogel, composed of an organogelator in an organic solvent, constitutes a simple and convenient system to deliver drugs through the skin portal. This thesis focuses on the feasibility and viability of the organogel as a vehicle for haloperidol (hydrophobic) and aminophylline (hydrophilic) in transdermal and topical applications.