title: Topical Treatment of Infantile Haemangiomas: A Comparative Study on the Selection of a Semi-Solid Vehicle.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Topical β-blockers have recently been proposed as a valid alternative to oral drugs for treating cutaneous infantile haemangiomas, but clinical results in the literature are inconsistent due to the empirical choice of topical preparations. The current investigation aimed to rationalize the selection of a semi-solid vehicle for a locally applied drug product containing 1% w/w propranolol hydrochloride (PR-Cl).
  
  
  METHODS
  A hydrophobic ointment of PR-Cl, two lipophilic creams, and a hydrophilic cream were prepared. In vitro release and skin permeation studies through human epidermis and full-thickness skin were performed by Franz diffusion cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall results highlighted that PR-Cl was able to permeate the human epidermis, and its penetration pattern was strongly influenced by the composition of the semi-solid vehicle. PR-Cl release and permeation from lipophilic vehicles were extremely limited and influenced by their composition. Best results were obtained by using the hydrophilic cream. Furthermore, the retention study evidenced that epidermis acted as a reservoir, releasing the PR-Cl accumulated after preparation removal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 1% w/w PR-Cl cream resulted the most suitable formulation for improving drug permeation through the human epidermis. On the contrary, the negligible permeation profile through full-thickness skin pointed out that PR-Cl cannot diffuse significantly to reach the deeper layers of human skin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casiraghi
authors.forename: Umberto M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Musazzi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rocco
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Franzè
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Minghetti
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011433:Propranolol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012869:Skin Absorption / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D011433:Propranolol