Improvement of a slimming cream's efficacy using a novel fabric as a transdermal drug delivery system: An in vivo and in vitro study

Exp Ther Med. 2020 May;19(5):3282-3288. doi: 10.3892/etm.2020.8582. Epub 2020 Mar 6.

Abstract

Penetration of any compound into the body from the outside is prevented primarily by the corneal layer of the epidermis. The only way to circumvent the properties of the corneal layer is to disrupt it. Currently, transdermal systems can currently only deliver drugs that are of low molecular weight. The purpose of the present study was to assess the improvement of the slimming cream's efficacy using a novel fabric, with the aim of developing an improved method for transdermal drug delivery. The current study was conducted on four groups of guinea pigs. The control group was untreated, whereas the test groups were treated with either slimming cream and no fabric, slimming cream with 100% cotton fabric or slimming cream with the novel fabric. Ultrasound and microscopic histological analysis were used to assess animals. The results demonstrated that compared with the other groups, the novel fabric group demonstrated the greatest reductions in fat layer thickness, adipocyte size and number and proliferator-activated receptor-γ levels in adipose tissue. Furthermore, the novel fabric also enhanced the transdermal delivery of rhodamine B base and caffeine penetration compared with the control fabric (3.18-fold). In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that the novel fabric can potentially be used to enhance transdermal drug delivery.

Keywords: novel fabric; slimming cream; transdermal drug delivery system.