Effects of Nanobubbles in Dermal Delivery of Drugs and Cosmetics

Abstract

Dermal delivery, which delivers drugs and cosmetics through the skin, has attracted significant attention due to its non-invasive and simple administration compared with oral or injectable administration. However, delivery of the ingredients through the skin barrier is difficult because the primary function of the skin is to protect the human body by preventing the invasion of contaminants. Although various techniques have been developed to overcome skin barriers, chemical toxicity, complicated processes, and expensive equipment still remain as obstacles. Moreover, green chemistry, which minimizes or eliminates the use of toxic chemicals, is required in the cosmetic industry. Thus, the development of a new method for dermal delivery is required. In this study, we provide a new method for dermal delivery using nanobubbles (NBs). NBs generated in oil improve the delivery effect of the active ingredients through the high Brownian motion and charge-balancing effect. Franz cell experiments and depigmentation experiments using the B16F10 melanoma cells were conducted to confirm the enhanced delivery effects. The system using NBs will contribute to the advancement of the dermal delivery of drugs and cosmetics.

Keywords: cosmetics; depigmentation; dermal delivery; nanobubbles.

Figure 1

(a) Photograph image of NB oil and pure NBs in the presence of green laser irradiation. (b) NTA data of generated NB oil.

Figure 2

(a) Illustration of Franz cell. (b) Cumulative concentration of ingredients across the membrane at room temperature.

Figure 3

(a) Live/dead assay of B16F10 cell line which was stained with FDA (green) PI (red) after being incubated with pure NB oil. (b) Cell viability analysis for pure NB oil and α-bisabolol containing NB oil in B16F10 melanoma cell after 24 h incubation. (c) Calculated depigmenting index using the collected aliquots during the Franz cell experiment.