Skip to main content
AAPS PharmSciTech logoLink to AAPS PharmSciTech
. 2005 Sep 30;6(2):E144–E149. doi: 10.1208/pt060222

Feasibility of transdermal delivery of fluoxetine

Darshan K Parikh 1,2,, Tapash K Ghosh 1,3
PMCID: PMC2750525  PMID: 16353971

Abstract

Feasibility of developing a transdermal drug delivery of fluoxetine has been investigated. Permeation studies of fluoxetine across human cadaver skin were carried out using Franz diffusion cells. The receptor phase consisted of pH 7.4 phosphate buffer maintained at 37°C. Permeation enhancement of fluoxetine, either in the salt or base form, was achieved using various enhancers like azone, SR-38, and ethanol. Various O/W microemulsion systems of fluoxetine were developed to study their effect on the skin permeation of fluoxetine. The results indicated that ethanol at 65% vol/vol was able to increase the permeation of fluoxetine the most, while microemulsion systems showed decrease in the permeation of fluoxetine. The permeation of fluoxetine obtained using a 65% vol/vol ethanolic solution was found to be sufficient to deliver the required dose (20–80 mg) from a patch of feasible size. The results seem promising for developing a transdermal drug delivery system of fluoxetine.

Keywords: transdermal, fluoxetine, microemulsion, enhancer, ethanol

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (342.3 KB).

References

  • 1.Dreher F, Walde P, Walther P, Wehrli E. Interaction of a lecithin microemulsion gel with human stratum corneum and its effect on transdermal transport. J Control Release. 1997;45:131–140. doi: 10.1016/S0168-3659(96)01559-3. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Trotta M, Morel S, Gasco MR. Effect of oil phase composition on the skin permeation of felodipine from o/w microemulsions. Pharmazie. 1997;52:50–53. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Danielsson I, Lindman B. The definition of microemulsion. Colloid Surf. 1981;3:391–392. doi: 10.1016/0166-6622(81)80064-9. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Benfield P, Heel RC, Lewis SP. Fluoxetine: review of its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties, and therapeutic efficacy in depressive illness. Drugs. 1986;32:481–508. doi: 10.2165/00003495-198632060-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Cold JA, Miller SW, Thomas S, Chow M. Weight loss in an elderly woman receiving fluoxetine. Consultant Pharmacist. 1995;10:97–98. [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Fichtner CG, Braun BG. Hyperphagia and weight loss during fluoxetine treatment. Ann Pharmacother. 1994;28:1350–1352. doi: 10.1177/106002809402801205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Garritty CM. Pharmacotherapy of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Can Pharm. J. 1996;129:36–37. [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Reynolds JEF. Martindale’s The Extra Pharmacopoeia. 31st ed. London, England: Royal Pharmaceutical Society; 1996. [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Altamura AC, Moro AR, Percudani M. Clinical pharmacokinetics of fluoxetine. Clin Pharmacokinet. 1994;26:201–214. doi: 10.2165/00003088-199426030-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Alderman CP, Seshadri P, Ben-Tovim DI. Effects of serotonin reuptake inhibitors on hemostasis. Ann Pharmacother. 1996;30:1232–1234. doi: 10.1177/106002809603001103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Ogiso T, Iwaki M, Paku T. Effect of various enhancers on transdermal penetration of indomethacin and urea, and relationship between penetration parameters and enhancement factors. J Pharm Sci. 1995;84:482–488. doi: 10.1002/jps.2600840418. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Hadgraft J, Walters KA, Hadgraft J. Pharmaceutical Skin Penetration Enhancement. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker Inc; 1993. Azone: mechanisms of action and clinical effect; pp. 175–197. [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Ghosh TK, Banga AK. Methods of enhancement of transdermal drug delivery: part IIA, chemical permeation enhancers. Pharm Technol. 1993;17:62–62. [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Gallarate M, Gasco MR, Trotta M, Chetoni P, Saettone MF. Preparation and evaluation in vitro of solutions and o/w microemulsions containing levobunolol as ion-pair. Int J Pharm. 1993;100:219–225. doi: 10.1016/0378-5173(93)90094-V. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Rajadhyaksha VJ, Sharma K, Pfister WR, Ghosh TK, Pfister WR, Yum S. Transdermal and Topical Drug Delivery Systems. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 1997. Oxazolidinones: a new class of permeation enhancer; pp. 477–509. [Google Scholar]
  • 16.Hatanaka T, Shimoyama M, Sugibayashi K, Morimoto Y. Effect of vehicle on the skin permeability of drugs: polyethylene glycol 400-water and ethanol-water binary solvents. J Control Release. 1993;23:247–260. doi: 10.1016/0168-3659(93)90006-Q. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Berner B, Mazzenga GC, Otte JH, Steffens RJ, Juang R, Ebert CD. Ethanol: water mutually enhanced transdermal therapeutic system II: skin permeation of ethanol and nitroglycerin. J Pharm Sci. 1989;78:402–407. doi: 10.1002/jps.2600780512. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Knutson K, Krill SL, Zhang J. Solvent-mediated alterations of the stratum corneum. J Control Release. 1990;11:93–103. doi: 10.1016/0168-3659(90)90123-B. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Megrab NA, Williams AC, Barry BW. Oestradiol permeation across human skin, silastic and snake skin membranes: the effects of ethanol/water co-solvent systems. Int J Pharm. 1995;116:101–112. doi: 10.1016/0378-5173(94)00321-U. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 20.McEvoy GK. AHFS drug information, fluoxetine hydrochloride. Bethesda MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; 2003. pp. 2199–2214. [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Suwanpidokkul N, Thongnopnua P, Umprayn K. Transdermal delivery of zidovudine (AZT): the effects of vehicles, enhancers, and polymer membranes on permeation across cadaver pig skin. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2004;5:1–8. doi: 10.1208/pt050348. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from AAPS PharmSciTech are provided here courtesy of American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

RESOURCES