Surfactants as penetration enhancers for dermal and transdermal drug delivery

Abstract

Owing to the specific molecular structure of surfactants, these compounds can penetrate into the stratum corneum (SC) and thereby increase the transdermal absorption of drugs. As a result, surfactants are some of the most widely used enhancers in transdermal drug delivery formulations/systems. Starting with an introduction into the chemical structure and physicochemical characteristics of surfactants, this chapter is focused on the application of various surfactants for increasing the skin absorption of drugs and the mechanisms involved in this process. In particular, application of various ionic and nonionic surfactants and synergism with physical and chemical permeation enhancement methods such as electrophoresis have been discussed, and key publications in this subject area have been introduced. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015.