Comparative in Vitro Evaluation of Hydrocortisone Acetate Permeation Through Porcine Skin and Synthetic Membranes Using Franz Diffusion Cells (Published)
The evaluation of dermal drug permeation is a key requirement in the development, quality control, and regulatory assessment of topical formulations. Reliable in vitro models are essential to ensure reproducibility and biological relevance. This study aimed to compare the in vitro permeation profile of hydrocortisone acetate (HCA) through porcine skin and a synthetic membrane using Franz diffusion cells.In vitro permeation studies were performed using Franz diffusion cells maintained at 37 ± 0.5°C. A 1% hydrocortisone acetate ointment was applied to porcine skin and STRAT-M synthetic membranes. Samples were withdrawn at 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes and analyzed by UV–Vis spectrophotometry at 241.5 nm. Drug concentrations were determined using a validated calibration curve (r² = 0.99). Experiments were conducted under controlled and reproducible conditions. The results show that hydrocortisone acetate permeation increased progressively over time for both membrane types. The STRAT-M membrane exhibited consistent and reproducible permeation profiles. In contrast, porcine skin showed greater variability, likely due to intrinsic biological differences and storage conditions. Despite this variability, overall permeation trends between the two models were comparable, with only slight differences in diffusion rates. In conclusion both porcine skin and synthetic membranes are suitable for in vitro permeation studies of topical formulations. While synthetic membranes provide higher reproducibility, porcine skin offers greater physiological relevance. The Franz diffusion cell method demonstrated robustness and suitability for routine evaluation of dermal drug delivery systems.
Keywords: Hydrocortisone acetate, franz diffusion cells, in vitro permeation, porcine skin, strat-m membrane, topical formulations