Table 3.
Penetration parameters of thymoquinone through human cadaver skin (N = 5) after 24 h and the effect of 5% penetration enhancers on the solubility of TQ using ethanol.
| Formulation | TQ flux (µg/cm²/h) | TQ Q24 (µg/cm²) | Lag time (h) | P × 10–3 (cm/h) ± SD | Solubility (mg/mL) ± SD* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | 21.28 ± 1.8 | 347 ± 18 | 4.21 ± 0.8 | 0.90 ± 0.07 | 29.56 ± 0.1 |
| Tween 80 | 20.68 ± 2.8 | 325 ± 43 | 4.8 ± 0.2 | 0.85 ± 0.11 | 23.76 ± 0.3 |
| NMP | 20.68 ± 2.8 | 382 ± 62 | 4.30 ± 0.2 | 0.90 ± 0.12 | 23.26 ± 0.7 |
| Azone | 27.97 ± 5.8 a | 468 ± 98 | 4.38 ± 0.3 | 0.97 ± 0.20 | 29.68 ± 1.3 |
| Oleic Acid | 28.25 ± 10 a | 466 ± 146 | 4.31 ± 0.6 | 0.97 ± 0.35 | 30.36 ± 1.3 |
| Transcutol® P | 29.53 ± 3 a | 483 ± 48 | 4.93 ± 0.2 | 0.96 ± 0.09 | 31.19 ± 0.5 |
a
Significant increase in TQ flux (p < .05).
*
The values represent the concentration of TQ ± SD (N = 3) in mg/mL at 48 h.