Influence of phloretin and 6-ketocholestanol on the skin permeation of sodium-fluorescein.

In the present study, we investigated the feasibility of enhancing the transport of the model drug sodium-fluorescein across rat, porcine and human skin by treating it with phloretin and 6-ketocholestanol. Both 6-ketocholestanol and phloretin were incorporated into unilamellar liposomes and used as a skin pre-treatment. Afterwards standard diffusion experiments with Franz-type diffusion cells were performed. The results indicate a positive effect of 6-ketocholestanol on the sodium-fluorescein diffusion in all skin types, whereas phloretin had no significant influence compared to the control in human skin. In contrast to this, phloretin had a significant positive effect in rat as well as in porcine skin after 30 h of diffusion. In addition to the permeation studies, the human skin samples were analysed by confocal laser scanning microscopy for direct visualisation of the sodium-fluorescein. As expected the results of the diffusion experiments were confirmed by this microscopic method.