Abstract:

By using vertical transdermal diffusion tester and HPLC to determine the content of index components in the receiving solution, the in vitro transdermal absorption experiment was carried out by using isolated mouse skin as the transdermal barrier. The effects of classical penetration enhancers Azone, menthol and borneol on the in vitro transdermal penetration of ferulic acid, a water soluble component of Angelica sinensis, were studied, and the best compound penetration enhancer was selected. The experimental results show that the three penetration enhancers have a good effect on the penetration of ferulic acid in vitro, and the cumulative permeability of ferulic acid increases gradually within 24 hours. When used alone, the effect on the transdermal permeability of ferulic acid is menthol>borneol>azone., while used in combination, the effect on the transdermal permeability of ferulic acid is borneol>menthol>azone. And the best compound penetration enhancer is 2% borneol+2% menthol. The results show that the combination of them is better than azone, borneol and menthol alone. The cumulative permeability per unit area （Q₂₄） in 24 hours is 34.32 μg/cm ², and the multiple （ER） is 64.195, which is 8 times and 25 times higher than that of menthol and borneol alone, respectively, with the lag time less than 2 hours. The synergistic effect is obvious. In other words, the optimized compound penetration enhancer has a good effect on the penetration of ferulic acid, a water-soluble component of Angelica sinensis, and can provide a penetration enhancer for the development of Angelica sinensis and transdermal drug delivery preparations with Angelica sinensis as the main prescription. At the same time, by comparing the permeability of mouse skin and Strat-M ^TM membrane to ferulic acid, it is found that although the permeability of the two kinds of transdermal barrier is the same, the lag time of Strat-M^TM membrane is much shorter than that of mouse skin, indicating that the barrier effect of Strat-M^TM membrane on ferulic acid is less than that of mouse skin. Because the permeability of mouse skin is higher than that of human skin, if Strat-M^TMmembrane is used in ferulic acid transdermal experiment in vitro, the transdermal lag time may be much different from the real situation.

Key words: Angelica sinensis （Oliv.） Diels, ferulic acid, penetration enhancer, skin penetration in vitro