Influence of Nanocrystal Size on the In Vivo Absorption Kinetics of Caffeine After Topical Application

July 2021 in “ European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics ”

P. Breuckmann, Martina C. Meinke, Th. Jaenicke, Jean Krutmann, У. Х. Расулев, Cornelia M. Keck, Rainer H. Müller, Anna Lena Klein, Jürgen Lademann, Alexa Patzelt

nanocrystal caffeine topical application hair follicles nanoparticles transfollicular delivery nanocarriers absorption kinetics dermal drug delivery

TLDR Nanoparticles sized between 470 and 750 nm are best for delivering substances like caffeine into hair follicles for absorption.

The study investigated the influence of nanocrystal size on the absorption kinetics of caffeine after topical application. It was found that drug delivery via hair follicles is an essential route for efficient dermal drug delivery, and nanoparticles of a size between 470 and 750 nm are most suitable for the delivery of actives into the hair follicles. The study also found that particles with a diameter of approximately 470–750 nm penetrate significantly deeper into hair follicles than smaller or larger ones. The study concluded that transfollicular delivery from moderately soluble actives such as caffeine via nanocarriers can significantly impact the absorption of these substances. Furthermore, the size of the nanocarrier has an additional effect concerning the absorption kinetics and long-term drug availability and has to be appropriately selected.

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