A physical method to enhance transdermal delivery of a tissue optical clearing agent: Combination of microneedling and sonophoresis

Background and Objectives: Various physical methods, such as microneedling, laser ablation, sonophoresis, and sandpaper, have been widely studied to enhance the transdermal delivery of tissue optical clearing (TOC) agents. A previous study demonstrated that the microneedling method could effectively enhance the permeability of a TOC agent through the skin barrier. Study Design/Materials and Methods: In this study, we introduce a new physical combination method which utilizes both microneedling and sonophoresis to further enhance the transdermal delivery of a TOC agent, glycerol. Porcine skin samples were divided into a control group treated only with the microneedle roller and a test group treated with both the microneedle roller and sonophoresis. Glycerol was applied topically after microneedling. The optimal concentration and transdermal delivery efficacy of glycerol were quantitatively evaluated. Results: A 70% glycerol solution was determined to be the optimal concentration for the combination method. The combination method resulted in approximately a 2.3-fold higher transdermal diffusion rate of glycerol when compared to the microneedling method alone. Conclusion: The combination method and optimal glycerol concentration effectively enhanced transdermal delivery of glycerol by accelerating the diffusion rate through the skin barrier.