Dissolvable microarray patches of levodopa and carbidopa for Parkinson’s disease management

• Published in: European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics 2024-06, Vol.199, p.114304-114304, Article 114304
• Main Authors: Anjani, Qonita Kurnia, Moreno-Castellanos, Natalia, Li, Yaocun, Sabri, Akmal Hidayat Bin, Donnelly, Ryan F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Cutaneous; Animals; Antiparkinson Agents - administration & dosage; Antiparkinson Agents - pharmacology; Carbidopa; Carbidopa - administration & dosage; Dissolving microarray patches; Drug Combinations; Drug Delivery Systems - methods; Fibroblasts - drug effects; Fibroblasts - metabolism; Humans; Levodopa; Levodopa - administration & dosage; Microneedles; Parkinson Disease - drug therapy; Parkinson’s disease; Skin - drug effects; Skin - metabolism; Skin Absorption - drug effects; Swine; Transdermal Patch
• ISSN: 0939-6411; 1873-3441
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2024.114304

[Display omitted] Carbidopa and levodopa remain the established therapeutic standard for managing Parkinson’s disease. Nevertheless, their oral administration is hindered by rapid enzymatic degradation and gastrointestinal issues, limiting their efficacy, and necessitating alternative delivery methods. This work presents a novel strategy employing dissolving microarray patches (MAPs) loaded with carbidopa and levodopa, formulated with Tween® 80 to improve their transdermal delivery. The fabricated MAPs demonstrated an acceptable mechanical strength, resisting pressures equivalent to manual human thumb application (32 N) onto the skin. Additionally, these MAPs exhibited an insertion depth of up to 650 µm into excised neonatal porcine skin. Ex vivo dermatokinetic studies could achieve delivery efficiencies of approximately 53.35 % for levodopa and 40.14 % for carbidopa over 24 h, demonstrating their significant potential in drug delivery. Biocompatibility assessments conducted on human dermal fibroblast cells corroborated acceptable cytocompatibility, confirming the suitability of these MAPs for dermal application. In conclusion, dissolving MAPs incorporating carbidopa and levodopa represent a promising alternative for improving the therapeutic management of Parkinson’s disease.