The Influence of Microneedles on the Percutaneous Penetration of Selected Antihypertensive Agents: Diltiazem Hydrochloride and Perindopril Erbumine

BACKGROUND: It is well documented in the scientific literature that high blood pressure can lead to cardiovascular disease. Untreated hypertension has clinical consequences such as coronary artery dis-ease, stroke or kidney failure. Diltiazem hydrochloride (DH), a calcium-channel blocker, and perindopril erbumine (PE), an inhibitor of the angiotensin converting enzyme are used for the management of hyper-tension. OBJECTIVE: This project will examine the effect of microneedle rollers on the transport of DH and PE across pig ear skin. The use of the transcutaneous route of administration reduces and in sometimes elimi-nates the trauma and pain associated with injections. Furthermore, there is increased patient compliance. The purpose of this project was to study the effect of stainless steel microneedles on the transdermal de-livery of DH and PE. METHOD: We utilized vertical Franz diffusion cells to study in vitro transport of DH and PE across mi-croneedle-treated pig ear skin. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used to characterize microchannel depth. Transdermal flux values were determined from the slope of the linear portion of the cumulative amount versus time curve. RESULTS: There was a 113.59-fold increase in the transdermal permeation of DH following the application of microneedle roller compared to passive diffusion. CONCLUSION: In the case of PE, there was an 11.99-fold increase in the drug transport across pig skin following the application of microneedle rollers in comparison with passive diffusion. Student’s t-test and Mann-Whitney’s rank sum test were used to determine statistically significant differences between exper-imental and control groups