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Background
The skin forms a protective barrier around the body. The rate of penetration of most drugs through the skin is controlled by the structure of the stratum corneum. The ability of the skin to impede the permeation of molecules means that, to date; only a small number of pharmaceutically active compounds have been suitable for conventional transdermal delivery. Many drugs will be absorbed but in such small quantities per area of skin per hour that a very large application area would be needed to achieve levels of concentration in the blood high enough to have therapeutic effects. Other drugs, in particular large, charged molecules such as peptides and proteins barely pass the skin at all.
The Ethosome Technology
Novel Therapeutic technology Inc. (NTT) has exclusively in-licensed and further developed a patented, passive, non-invasive, transdermal drug delivery technology known as the ETHOSOME™ Delivery System. Ethosomes were designed to enhance the delivery of drugs into the deep layers of the skin and through the skin.
Ethosomes are soft, malleable vesicles (size ranges between tens of nanometres and microns). All components of the Ethosomal systems are considered as being safe for pharmaceutical and cosmetic use.
Depending on the formulation, delivery can be targeted for local delivery or for systemic use. The structure of an Ethosome allows it to carry a wide variety of molecules with various physico-chemical properties. A number of these addressing different indications have been formulated and tested in laboratory studies.
Ethosomal systems were found to be significantly superior at delivering drugs through the skin in terms of both quantity and depth when compared to liposomes and to many commercial transdermal and dermal delivery systems.
Ethosomes are sophisticated vesicular delivery carriers that are capable of delivering various chemical applications. Visualization by dynamic light scattering showed that Ethosomes could be unilamellar or multilamellar through to the core. The size of Ethosomes can be modulated to range anywhere from 30 nm to a few microns. These novel delivery systems contain soft phospholipid vesicles in the presence of high concentrations of ethanol. Ethosomal systems are sophisticated conceptually, but characterized by simplicity in their preparation, safety and efficiency - a rare combination that can expand their applications.
Figure 1: Visualization of Ethosomes vesicles:
Visualization of Ethosome
(TEM magnification 315000) |
Visualization of Ethosome
(SEM x 100,000) |
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