Influence of iontophoresis and ultrasound on dendrimeric liquid crystals drug delivery

• Grant number: 19/14292-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2019
• End date: July 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Renata Fonseca Vianna Lopez
• Grantee: Luciana Facco Dalmolin
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/22451-7 - Sustained drug delivery systems targeting the epithelial tissue, AP.TEM

Abstract

Topical treatment is studied as a promising alternative for skin cancer. Our research group has evaluated ways to increase cutaneous penetration of chemotherapeutic drugs so that they can reach deeper layers of the skin. It is known that techniques such as iontophoresis and ultrasound are able to increase cutaneous penetration of drugs. However, both techniques present the formation of localized transport regions (LTR) which restricts the effectiveness of these techniques. In recent studies we have observed that iontophoresis of dispersions containing dedrimeric nanoparticles as drug carriers has been able to increase the drug penetration into the skin. Some papers described in the literature have used dendrimers for the development of thermotropic ionic liquid crystals. Thermotropic liquid crystals are intermediate phases between the solid and liquid phase of a substance whose degree of molecular organization responds to temperature variation and can respond to the application of electric currents and ultrasound, changing characteristics such as viscosity, conductivity and molecular relaxation. These characteristics could be used to benefit the permeation of drugs associated with iontophoresis and ultrasound, but have never been studied for this purpose. Thus, this project proposes to develop liquid-crystalline dendrimeric formulations and to evaluate its influence on the efficiency of iontophoresis and ultrasound as cutaneous absorption promoters using as the model drug the tetrasulfonated zinc phthalocyanine.