[Non-equilibrium properties of drug permeation through stratum corneum in vitro].

AIM: To illustrate the non-equilibrium properties of drug permeation through stratum corneum (SC) to provide theory and method for transdermal drug delivery. METHODS: The system of side-by-side permeation chambers in vitro was isolated, thus conditions for equilibrium state were decided. And a network thermodynamic model was established. Non-equilibrium and leakage experiments were completed with which tinidazole was pattern drug. RESULTS: The properties of non-equilibrium including: long term to reach equilibrium state; delay-start of the permeation; uncertainty of initial drug permeable flux. The properties of leakage including: degression of drug permeable flux; changeability of permeation time constant. CONCLUSION: The permeation cell is believed to be a non-linear and time variable system.

Expression of a fusion protein of human ciliary neurotrophic factor and soluble CNTF-receptor and identification of its activity.

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has pleiotropic actions on many neuronal populations as well as on glia. Signal transduction by CNTF requires that it bind first to CNTF-R, permitting the recruitment of gp130 and LIF-R, forming a tripartite receptor complex. Cells that only express gp130 and LIF-R, but not CNTF-R are refractory to stimulation by CNTF. On many target cells CNTF only acts in the presence of its specific agonistic soluble receptors. We engineered a soluble fusion protein by linking the COOH-terminus of sCNTF-R to the NH2-terminus of CNTF. Recombinant CNTF/sCNTF-R fusion protein (Hyper-CNTF) was successfully expressed in COS-7 cells. The apparent molecular mass of the Hyper-CNTF protein was estimated from western blots to be 75 kDa. Proliferation assays of transfected BAF/3 cells in response to CNTF and Hyper-CNTF were used to verify the activity of the cytokines. The proliferative results confirmed that CNTF required homodimerization of the gp130, CNTF-R and LIF-R receptor subunit whereas Hyper-CNTF required heterodimerization of the gp130 and LIF-R receptor subunit. We concluded that the fusion protein Hyper-CNTF had superagonistic activity on target cells expressing gp130 and LIF-R, but lacking membrane-bound CNTF-R.