Topical delivery of gabapentin is desirable to treat peripheral neuropathic pain conditions\nwhilst avoiding systemic side effects. To date, reports of topical gabapentin delivery in vitro have\nbeen variable and dependent on the skin model employed, primarily involving rodent and porcine\nmodels. In this study a variety of topical gabapentin formulations were investigated, including\nCarbopol�® hydrogels containing various permeation enhancers, and a range of proprietary bases\nincluding a compounded Lipoderm�® formulation; furthermore microneedle facilitated delivery was\nused as a positive control. Critically, permeation of gabapentin across a human epidermal membrane\nin vitro was assessed using Franz-type diffusion cells. Subsequently this data was contextualised\nwithin the wider scope of the literature. Although reports of topical gabapentin delivery have been\nshown to vary, largely dependent upon the skin model used, this study demonstrated that 6% (w/w)\ngabapentin 0.75% (w/w) Carbopol�® hydrogels containing 5% (w/w) DMSO or 70% (w/w) ethanol\nand a compounded 10% (w/w) gabapentin Lipoderm�® formulation were able to facilitate permeation\nof the molecule across human skin. Further pre-clinical and clinical studies are required to investigate\nthe topical delivery performance and pharmacodynamic actions of prospective formulations.
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