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Delivery of Methotrexate and Characterization of Skin Treated by Fabricated PLGA Microneedles and Fractional Ablative Laser

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Abstract

Purpose

This study investigated in vitro transdermal delivery of methotrexate through dermatomed porcine ear and cadaver human skin treated with poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) acid microneedles or fractional ablative laser.

Methods

PLGA microneedles were fabricated and characterized using scanning electron microscopy and mechanical assessment techniques. The integrity of treated skin was evaluated by rheometer, transepidermal water loss, and skin electrical resistance measurements. Successful skin microporation was demonstrated by dye binding, histology, pore uniformity, confocal laser microscopy, and DermaScan studies. In vitro permeation experiment was performed on Franz diffusion cells to determine drug delivery into and across the skin.

Results

Both physical treatments resulted in a considerable decrease in skin resistance and an increase in transepidermal water loss value. The laser-created microchannels were significantly larger than those formed by microneedles (p < 0.05). An effective force of 41.04 ± 18.33 N was required to achieve 100% penetration efficiency of the microneedles. For both porcine ear and human skin, laser ablation provided a significantly higher methotrexate permeability into the receptor chamber and skin layers compared to microneedle poration and untreated skin (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Both fractional ablative laser and polymeric microneedles markedly enhanced in vitro transdermal delivery of methotrexate into and across skin.

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Abbreviations

FTIR:

Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer

MN:

Microneedles

MTX:

Methotrexate

PBS:

Phosphate buffered saline

PDMS:

Polydimethylsiloxane

PLGA:

Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid

PPI:

Pore permeability index

RP-HPLC:

Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography

SD:

Standard deviation

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

TEWL:

Transepidermal water loss

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Acknowledgments and Disclosures

The authors would like to thank Michelle Vu, College of Pharmacy, Mercer University for her contribution in proof-reading the manuscript. The authors do not have any conflicts of interest to report for this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Mercer University, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA

    Hiep X. Nguyen & Ajay K. Banga

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  1. Hiep X. Nguyen
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  2. Ajay K. Banga
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Correspondence to Ajay K. Banga.

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Nguyen, H.X., Banga, A.K. Delivery of Methotrexate and Characterization of Skin Treated by Fabricated PLGA Microneedles and Fractional Ablative Laser. Pharm Res 35, 68 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-018-2369-6

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