Molecular Interaction between Intercellular Lipids in the Stratum Corneum and l-Menthol, as Analyzed by Synchrotron X-Ray Diffraction.

l-Menthol increases drug partitioning on the surface of skin, diffusion of drugs in the skin, and lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum and alters the rigidly arranged lipid structure of intercellular lipids. However, l-menthol is a solid at room temperature, and it is difficult to determine the effects of l-menthol alone. In this study, we vaporized l-menthol in order to avoid the effects of solvents.

Effect of Nerolidol and/or Levulinic Acid on the Thermotropic Behavior of Lipid Lamellar Structures in the Stratum Corneum.

Permeation enhancers are required to deliver drugs through the skin efficiently and maintain effective blood concentrations. Studies of the barrier function of the stratum corneum using l-menthol, a monocyclic monoterpene widely used in medicines and foods, have revealed an interaction between characteristic intercellular lipid structures in the stratum corneum and permeation enhancers. The variety of permeation enhancers that can be used to contribute to transdermal delivery systems beyond l-menthol is increasing.

Effect of Surfactants and Thickeners on the Stability of Menthol-Diphenhydramine Cream Identified by Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

A menthol-diphenhydramine cream is prepared in hospital pharmacies and then prescribed to patients for the treatment of pruritus associated with chronic kidney disease. The purpose of this study is to design a stable formulation without any concern about phase separation during its clinical use on patients. As a preventive measure against phase separation, various surfactants and thickeners were incorporated into the creams.

Numerical Investigation of the Residual Stress Distribution of Flat-Faced and Convexly Curved Tablets Using the Finite Element Method.

The stress distribution of tablets after compression was simulated using a finite element method, where the powder was defined by the Drucker-Prager cap model. The effect of tablet shape, identified by the surface curvature, on the residual stress distribution was investigated. In flat-faced tablets, weak positive shear stress remained from the top and bottom die walls toward the center of the tablet.

Infrared spectroscopic study of lipid interaction in stratum corneum treated with transdermal absorption enhancers.

To develop a transdermal drug delivery system, it is necessary to search for effective modulators to act as permeation enhancers and evaluate its mechanisms of action. It has been suggested that attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) is a useful tool for evaluating the functional group interaction of the intercellular lipids in the stratum corneum. The purpose of this study is elucidation of the effect of the transdermal permeation enhancers on the intercellular lipid in hairless rat stratum corneum using the ATR-FTIR.