Polymeric nanospheres as strategy to increase the amount of triclosan retained in the skin: passive diffusion vs. iontophoresis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the passive and iontophoretic permeation of triclosan in human skin using a triclosan solution and triclosan-loaded cationic nanospheres in order to determine which of the two strategies is more effective in allowing the deposition of triclosan within the skin. Triclosan-loaded nanospheres were prepared by the emulsification-solvent displacement technique using aminoalkyl methacrylate (Eudragit® RL 100) as polymer matrix. Nanospheres of 261.0 ± 15.1 nm with a positive surface charge (Ψz = 26.0 ± 3.2 mV) were obtained. Drug loading was 62.0 ± 1.7%. Results demonstrated that the amount of triclosan retained within the skin was significantly greater (8.5-f…