OIL-FROZEN W1/O/W2 DOUBLE EMULSIONS FOR TRANSDERMAL BIOMACROMOLECULAR DELIVERY CONTAINING ETHANOL AS CHEMICAL PENETRATION ENHANCER

摘要

Oil-frozen W_1/O/W_2 double emulsions containing ethanol up to 40% in the external W_2 phase were successfully prepared and exhibited external coalescence upon thawing of the oil phase, releasing up to 85% of the protein encapsulated in the internal aqueous phase. Oil-frozen W_1/W_2 double emulsions were studied in-vitro as potential transdermal macromolecular delivery formulations, achieving FITC-BSA penetration of up to 91 μm into porcine skin. ELISA studies were performed to observe the effect of the emulsification process and ethanol content on the ability of BSA to form antigen-antibody complexes; results indicated that ethanol content and the emulsification process did not diminish the BSA-antibody complex formation when compared to a BSA standard aqueous solution.