Why Should Percutanteous Penetration be Determined?

Regardless of how potent and effective a bioactive compound may be in cell culture models, a topical formulation will work only if the compound actually penetrates the surface barrier of the skin to reach target cells located deep within the skin. DermaMedics scientists are able to determine the topical delivery of a bioactive compound by means of Franz cell analysis.

What is Franz Cell Analysis?

A Franz cell is a specially designed apparatus that allows for the determination of the precise amount of bioactive compound that has penetrated through a membrane, such as skin. A diagram of a Franz cell unit is here.

A membrane, in our case human skin, is sandwiched between an upper donor chamber and a lower receptor chamber. The lower receptor chamber is filled with fluid and is equilibrated to a temperature of 37C (normal body temperature) by the circulating water jacket. The test formulation is applied to surface of the skin through the upper chamber and samples of fluid in the lower receptor chamber are taken at predetermined time intervals (ex. 12 and 24 hours). The samples from the receptor chamber are then analyzed by HPLC to quantify the amount of bioactive that has penetrated the skin and entered the receptor chamber.