Enhanced percutaneous penetration of flufenamic acid using lipid disperse systems containing glycosylceramides.

The usefulness of lipid disperse systems, containing soybean phosphatidylcholine (PC) and glycosylceramide (GC) as lipid components, to enhance the percutaneous penetration of flufenamic acid (FA) through rat abdominal skin was examined by both in vitro permeation and in vivo absorption studies. The penetration of FA from a simple buffer suspension (pH 3.0) containing no lipid component was poor, but was markedly enhanced when FA was incorporated in PC-dispersions. However, this enhancing effect disappeared when the PC concentration in the preparation exceeded 40 mumol/ml. Enhanced penetration of FA from PC-dispersions could also be recognized when 30% propylene glycol or 30% glycerol was used as the dispersing medium instead of the aqueous buffer solution. Addition of GC to the PC-dispersions brought further enhancement of FA penetration through the skin. The maximal effect was observed when FA was incorporated in a 10%-GC system, and the cumulative amount of FA penetrating through the skin in 24 h from this system was approximately 6-fold larger than that from the simple buffer suspension. Enhanced absorption of FA from lipid disperse systems was also confirmed by in vivo application of these preparations.