Noninvasive Transdermal Delivery of Biomolecules Using Arc-Poration

Abstract

The transdermal drug delivery system is the most suitable method for increasing the bioavailability of drugs, minimizing side effects, and improving patient compliance. However, due to the stratum corneum skin barrier, transdermal drug delivery remains limited. To disrupt the stratum corneum, we developed an arc-poration device, which is an arc discharge-based device that creates micropores on the stratum corneum while minimizing skin damage. Optical images and histological analysis using reconstituted human skin and porcine skin show that micropores with an average diameter of approximately 100 micrometers are created only to the depth of the stratum corneum, not viable epidermis, by the treatment of arc-poration. In addition, the Franz diffusion cell experiment using reconstituted human skin showed a remarkable increase in permeability following pretreatment with arc-poration. Clinical results indicate that the skin improvement effect of cosmetics is enhanced by pretreatment of arc-poration is statistically significant, and there are no abnormal skin responses. Taken together, our results indicate that arc-poration can increase skin permeability by creating stratum corneum-specific micropores. Here we suggest arc-poration as a novel technique that can overcome the limitations of transdermal drug delivery.

Note:
Funding Declaration: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflict of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. All authors have approved 488 the final article.

Ethical Approval: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Institutional Review Board of APR Co., Ltd. (IRB approval code 70094430-2202-HR-011-07 and 70094430-2201-HR-004-07). All individuals provided written informed consent.

Keywords: transdermal drug delivery, arc discharge, arc-poration, skin permeability, stratum corneum, cosmetics