Permeation Protection by Waterproofing Mucosal Membranes

Abstract

<p>The permeability of the oral or nasal mucosa is higher than that of the skin. Mucosa permeability</p><p>depends mainly on the thickness and keratinization degree of the tissues. Their permeability</p><p>barrier is conditioned by the presence of certain lipids. This work has the main aim of reinforcing the</p><p>barrier effect of oral mucosa with a series of formulations to reduce permeation. Transmembrane</p><p>water loss of different formulations was evaluated, and three of them were selected to be tested on</p><p>the sublingual mucosa permeation of drugs. Caffeine, ibuprofen, dexamethasone, and ivermectin</p><p>were applied on porcine skin, mucosa, and modified mucosa in order to compare the effectiveness of</p><p>the formulations. A similar permeation profile was obtained in the different membranes: caffeine</p><p>> ibuprofen~dexamethasone > ivermectin. The most efficient formulation was a liposomal formulation</p><p>composed of lipids that are present in the skin stratum corneum. Impermeability provided</p><p>by this formulation was notable mainly for the low-molecular-weight compounds, decreasing their</p><p>permeability coefficient by between 40 and 80%. The reinforcement of the barrier function of mucosa</p><p>provides a reduction or prevention of the permeation of different actives, which could be extrapolated</p><p>to toxic compounds such as viruses, contaminants, toxins, etc.</p>