Development of a thermoresponsive sol-gel topical formulations platform for carrying on skin permeation enhancers and pharmaceutical and cosmetic actives

• Grant number: 22/07541-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: November 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Newton Andréo Filho
• Grantee: Newton Andréo Filho
• Host Investigator: Harendra Parekh
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas (ICAQF). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Diadema. Diadema , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Queensland, Brisbane (UQ), Australia

Abstract

The administration of drugs through the skin is a viable alternative for the treatment of local and systemic diseases, which arouses the interest of several researchers. Although many transdermal systems have been tested to optimize drug delivery, few effective gains have been achieved in order to develop versatile pharmaceutical platforms capable of delivering drugs with different properties and favoring their permeation. In this project, we propose the development of a thermoresponsive sol-gel formulation for the delivery of two drugs, one hydrophilic (caffeine) and the other lipophilic (resveratrol), associated with urea or papain skin permeation promoters, aiming at controlled release and improved penetration. cutaneous. For this purpose, poloxamer 407, glycerin, and water mixtures will be carried out under refrigeration (4-8°C) to determine the sol-gel transition temperature (Tsol-gel). Subsequently, the mixtures will be added with chitosan and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose in different proportions and later characterized in terms of Tsol-gel, rheological properties, adhesion, and resistance. Once the formulation is defined, the drugs and permeation promoters will be incorporated, and the drug release in vitro using snake skin (3.5 MWCO) and ex vivo skin permeation using pig skin will be evaluated, structured in Franz diffusion cells. It is expected to obtain a thermoresponsive formulation for cutaneous administration capable of delivering drugs with different solubilities, enabling the control of the release and favoring the cutaneous permeation due to the action of permeation promoters. This project will strengthen the existing collaboration between the Federal University of São Paulo and The University of Queensland. Additionally, the technology learned at The University of Queensland will be applied in future works to be developed in Brazil in close partnership with the Australian University. (AU)