(228ac) Transdermal Delivery of Traditional Chinese Medicine Via a Microfabricated Zeolite Microneedle

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have more than 3000 years of history and include many bioactive phytochemicals derived from plants. Decoction and oral administration remain common extraction methods for TCM with inconvenience and low efficacy. The possibility of reformulating TCM for transdermal delivery is attractive and microneedle could provide an avenue for effective administration of TCM. This work explores the delivery of ferulic acid (FA) derived from TCM, Danggui (Angelica sinensi) by microneedle. Ferulic acid is shown to be an antioxidant with pro-apoptotic effects on cancer cell. The microneedle was made of pure silica zeolites that have good hardness and strength, and can create channels through skin with minimal peripheral damages. The delivery of ferulic acid was monitored in an in vitro experiment using pig skin as model skin surface to measure the efficiency of the microneedle transdermal delivery system.