The Study of Deep Eutectic Solvent Based on Choline Chloride and L-(+)-Tartaric Acid Diethyl Ester for Transdermal Delivery System

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) based on choline chloride (C) and L-(+)-tartaric acid diethyl ester (L) were prepared and used in transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS). The internal chemistry structure including the formation and changes of hydrogen bonds of choline chloride and L-(+)-tartaric acid diethyl ester DES was characterized via attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy. The stoichiometric ratio of choline chloride to L-(+)-tartaric acid diethyl ester as well as water content affected the viscosity, glass transition temperature (T_g), and drug solubility of the DES. The viscosity and glass transition temperature of the DES (CL14) prepared at the ratio of 1:4 of choline chloride to L-(+)-tartaric acid diethyl ester were 1.19 Pa·s and - 44.01°C, respectively, and decreased to 0.10 Pa·s and - 55.31°C when 10% water (CL1410) was added. Taking diclofenac diethylamine (DDEA), the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug as model, drug solubility was as high as 60 mg/ml and 250 mg/ml in CL14 and CL1410, respectively. The cumulative amount of DDEA was 4.63 ± 2.67 μg/cm² and 15.27 ± 4.63 μg/cm² for CL14 and CL1410, respectively, at 8 h. The mechanism of percutaneous permeability by the DES may be the disturbance of stratum corneum (SC) lipids as well as changes in the protein conformations. CL14 and CL1410 were also verified as low-cytotoxic and nonirritant. Therefore, the DESs studied are promising to be used in drug solubilization enhancement and transdermal drug delivery system.

Using molecular simulation to understand the skin barrier

Skin's effectiveness as a barrier to permeation of water and other chemicals rests almost entirely in the outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum (SC), which consists of layers of corneocytes surrounded by highly organized lipid lamellae. As the only continuous path through the SC, transdermal permeation necessarily involves diffusion through these lipid layers. The role of the SC as a protective barrier is supported by its exceptional lipid composition consisting of ceramides (CERs), cholesterol (CHOL), and free fatty acids (FFAs) and the complete absence of phospholipids, which are present in most biological membranes. Molecular simulation, which provides molecular level detail of lipid configurations that can be connected with barrier function, has become a popular tool for studying SC lipid systems. We review this ever-increasing body of literature with the goals of (1) enabling the experimental skin community to understand, interpret and use the information generated from the simulations, (2) providing simulation experts with a solid background in the chemistry of SC lipids including the composition, structure and organization, and barrier function, and (3) presenting a state of the art picture of the field of SC lipid simulations, highlighting the difficulties and best practices for studying these systems, to encourage the generation of robust reproducible studies in the future. This review describes molecular simulation methodology and then critically examines results derived from simulations using atomistic and then coarse-grained models.