Physical modelling of transdermal drug delivery through non-invasive electroporation
Résumé
We are researching a method for non-invasive, transdermal drug delivery. An alternative to needle injections for the delivery of therapeutic macromolecules through the skin. The skin's outer layer, the stratum corneum, is impermeable to big and/or lipophilic molecules. To overcome this barrier, we are based on electroporation, a biological technique where high-voltage, short-duration electric pulses temporarily permeabilize lipid bilayers. Freshly-isolated skin from hairless mice is used to test the macromolecule delivery. A generator applies a pulsed electric field on the skin while we evaluate the electroporation extent through skin impedance changes and fluorescence microscopy. Our first results show that the application of a pulsed electric field rapidly decreases skin impedance, an effect attributed to the electrical breakdown of lipid bilayers. Depending on the pulse characteristics (intensity and duration), the changes observed may be reversible or permanent.
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