title: Comparison of ethosomes and liposomes for skin delivery of psoralen for psoriasis therapy.
abstract: Recent reports have indicated that psoriasis may be caused by malfunctioning dermal immune cells, and psoralen ultraviolet A (PUVA) is an effective treatment for this chronic disease. However, conventional topical formulations achieve poor drug delivery across patches of psoriasis to their target sites. The present study describes the development of a novel psoralen transdermal delivery system employing ethosomes, flexible vesicles that can penetrate the stratum corneum and target deep skin layers. An in vitro skin permeation study showed that the permeability of psoralen-loaded ethosomes was superior to that of liposomes. Using ethosomes, psoralen transdermal flux and skin deposition were 38.89±0.32 μg/cm(2)/h and 3.87±1.74 μg/cm(2), respectively, 3.50 and 2.15 times those achieved using liposomes, respectively. The ethosomes and liposomes were found to be safe following daily application to rat skin in vivo, for 7 days. The ethosomes showed better biocompatibility with human embryonic skin fibroblasts than did an equivalent ethanol solution, indicating that the phosphatidylcholine present in ethosome vesicles improved their biocompatibility. These findings indicated that ethosomes could potentially improve the dermal and transdermal delivery of psoralen and possibly of other drugs requiring deep skin delivery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Tai
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors.forename: Li-Na
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors.forename: Zhong-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Hui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China. Electronic address: npfeng@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Nian-Ping
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003102:Colloids; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects; D005363:Ficusin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008081:Liposomes; D011701:PUVA Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D012869:Skin Absorption
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D004337:Drug Carriers; D008081:Liposomes; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D005363:Ficusin
keywords: Cytotoxicity; Ethosomes; Liposomes; Nanocarrier; Transdermal