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. 2004 Aug 18;5(3):82–89. doi: 10.1208/pt050348

Transdermal delivery of zidovudine (AZT): The effects of vehicles, enhancers, and polymer membranes on permeation across cadaver pig skin

Nuntakan Suwanpidokkul 1,✉, Phensri Thongnopnua 2, Kaisri Umprayn 3
PMCID: PMC2750270  PMID: 15760081

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vehicles, enhancers, and polymer membranes on 3-azido-3-deoxythymidine (AZT) permeation across cadaver pig skin. Four binary vehicles (ethanol/water, isopropyl alcohol/water, polyethylene glycol 400/water, and ethanol/isopropyl myristate [IPM] were tested for AZT solubility and permeability across pig skin; ethanol/IPM (50/50, vol/vol) demonstrated the highest AZT flux (185.23 μ/cm2/h). Next, the addition of various concentrations of different enhancers (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone [NMP], oleic acid, and lauric acid) to different volume ratios of ethanol/IPM was investigated for their effect on AZT solubility and permeability across pig skin. The use of 2 conbinations (ethanol/IPM [20/80] plus 10% NMP and ethanol/IPM [30/70] plus 10% NMP) resulted in increased AZT solubility (42.6 and 56.27 mg/mL, respectively) and also high AZT flux values (284.92 and 460.34 μg/cm2/h, respectively) without appreciable changes in lag times (6.25 and 7.49 hours, respectively) when compared with formulations using only ethanol/IPM at 20/80 and 30/70 volume ratios without addition of the enhancer NMP. Finally, AZT permeation across pig skin covered with a microporous polyethylene (PE) membrane was investigated. The addition of the PE membrane to the pig skin reduced AZT flux values to ∼50% of that seen with pig skin alone. However, the AZT flux value attained with ethanol/IPM (30/70) plus 10% NMP was 215.30 μg/cm2/h, which was greater than the target flux (208 μg/cm2/h) needed to maintain the steady-state plasma concentration in humans. The results obtained from this study will be helpful in the development of an AZT transdermal drug delivery system.

Keywords: Zidovudine permeation, enhancer, binary vehicles, polymer membrane, transdermal delivery system

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