ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the effect of different penetration enhancers on the percutaneous absorption of nine active components in Shaofu Zhuyu Transdermal Patches (SZTP) across skin of mice and optimize the proper penetration enhancers in order to provide the scientific basis for SZTP research, clinical medication, and reform of the traditional forms. Methods: Using improved Franz diffusion cells and taking isolated rat abdomen skins as transdermal barrier, the concentration of these components was determined by UPLC-MS/MS, then the total factor scores of the concentrations at different time were calculated using PCA and employed instead of the concentration to compute the cumulative amounts and steady fluxes. Results: The results showed that compared to the control group, the steady fluxes of the other groups increased significantly, and furthermore, 2.5% azone with 2.5% propylene glycol manifested the best effect. The nine components could penetrate through skin well under the action of penetration enhancers. Conclusion: Azone and propylene glycol could significantly promote the percutaneous penetration effect of the nine active components in SZTP, and it could provide a scientific basis for the preparation research of SZTP.