Description du livre
This work represents an inventive attempt to apply recent advances in
nanotechnology to identify and characterise novel polymer systems for
drug delivery through the skin. Atomic
force microscopy (AFM) measurements of the nanoscale mechanical
properties of topical, drug-containing polymeric films enabled the
author to identify optimal compositions, in terms of flexibility and
substantivity, for application to the skin. To elucidate
the enhanced drug release from polyacrylate films incorporating medium
chain triglycerides, the author combined AFM studies with the
complementary technique of Raman micro-spectroscopy. This experimental
strategy revealed that the significant increase in the
drug released from these films is the result of a nanoscale two-phase
structure. Finally, in experiments examining the microporation of skin
using femtosecond laser ablation, the author demonstrated that the
threshold at which the skin's barrier function
is undermined can be dramatically reduced by the pre-application of
ink. The approach allows thermal damage at the pore edge to be
minimised, suggesting a very real potential for substantially increasing
drug delivery in a minimally invasive fashion.