Title:In Vitro Skin Permeation Enhancement of Sumatriptan by Microneedle Application
Volume: 12
Issue: 6
Author(s): Buchi N. Nalluri, Sai Sri V. Anusha, Sri R. Bramhini, J. Amulya, Ashraf S.K. Sultana, Chandra U. Teja and Diganta B. Das
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Microneedle arrays, Microneedle rollers, Permeation, RP-HPLC, Sumatriptan, Transdermal delivery.
Abstract: Different dimensions of commercially available microneedle devices, namely, Admin-
Patch® microneedle arrays (MN) (0.6, 0.9, 1.2 and 1.5 mm lengths) and Dermaroller® microneedle
rollers (DR) (0.5 and 1mm lengths) were evaluated for their relative efficiency in enhancement of
transdermal permeation of Sumatriptan (SMT). Solubility assessment of SMT was carried out using
propylene glycol (PG), polyethylene glycol (PEG) in combination with saline (S) at different ratios
and the order of solubility was found to be 70:30 > 80:20 > 90:10 %v/v in both PG:S and PEG:S. In
vitro skin permeation studies were performed using PG:S (70:30 %v/v) as donor vehicle. A significant increase in cumulative
amount of SMT permeated, steady state flux, permeability coefficient and diffusion coefficient values were observed
after microneedle treatment, and the values were in the order of 1.5mm MN >1.2mm MN >0.9mm MN >1mm DR
>0.6mm MN >0.5mm DR > passive permeation. Lag times were significantly shorter after longer microneedle application
(0.24h for 1.5mm MN). Arrays were found to be superior to rollers with similar microneedle lengths in enhancing SMT
permeation and may be attributed to higher density of microneedles and force of application onto skin. The in vitro flux
values revealed that 2.5cm2 area patch is sufficient for effective therapy after treatment of skin with 1.5mm MN. It may be
inferred that microneedle application significantly enhances the transdermal penetration of SMT and that it may be feasible
to deliver clinically relevant therapeutic levels of SMT using microneedle assisted transdermal delivery systems.
