Custom Experimental Apparatus Design for the Investigation of Ultrasound as an Active Enhancement Method in Transdermal Drug Delivery

摘要

This paper discusses the motivations and initial design specifications relating to a custom experimental apparatus for the investigation of ultrasound as an active enhancement method in transdermal drug delivery. The motivations for such an apparatus are: the high standard deviations in published results; the expected discrepancies between inputted parameter values to a specific test setup and the values of those variables at the skin surface during experimentation; and the potentially low validity of empirical relationships due to apparatus inadequacies. Preliminary numerical modelling has indicated that, for ultrasound enhanced transdermal experimentation, an apparatus made of polypropylene and submerged in water will have superior functionality to a standard glass Franz diffusion cell surrounded by air. A novel donor chamber has been made that is capable of accommodating a 50cm diameter ultrasound probe in a Franz diffusion cell setup.