Synergic enhancing-effect of DEET and dodecylamine on the skin permeation of testosterone from a matrix-type transdermal delivery system

Abstract

The synergic in vitro skin permeation enhancing-effect of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) and dodecylamine was investigated in order to develop a novel non-scrotal matrix-type transdermal delivery system of testosterone (TS). When DEET was loaded in DuroTak (R) 87-2510 together with 2% TS and 3% dodecylamine, the in vitro rat skin permeation rate of TS synergistically increased as DEET concentration increased up to 0.5%. No further increase in permeation was observed thereafter and a plateau was observed up to 3.8% DEET. Moreover, compared to 0.5% DEET concentration, the addition of 3.8% of DEET in combination with 3% dodecylamine and 6% TS further increased the permeation rate of TS, and the maximum permeation rate of 11.21 mu g/cm(2)/h was achieved. The in vitro skin permeation rates of TS from a transdermal delivery system of DuroTak (R) 87-2510 containing 6% TS, 3% dodecyamine, and 3.8% DEET were in the following order: hairless mouse skin > rat skin > human cadaver skin. Assuming that a system with a surface area of 60 cm(2) is applied, the human cadaver skin permeation rate of 5.74 mu g/cm(2)/h achieved in this study can be interpreted as being equivalent to delivering similar to 8.27 mg of TS per day. Considering that the commercially available product (Testoderml (R) TTS) for non-scrotal skin of the same surface area is designed to administer 5 mg of TS per day, the new formulation could maintain therapeutic plasma concentration of TS at a smaller surface area of 40 cm(2).