| abstract |
Provided is a novel barrier membrane and a method using the barrier membrane for testing the transdermal penetration behavior of a bioactive agent. The method employs shed snake skin as the model barrier membrane. In particular, the method comprises the steps of providing a dose of a donor formulation containing the bioactive agent, and a receptor solution, with a barrier membrane of shed snake skin separating the donor formulation and receptor solution. The receptor solution is then serially sampled and assayed in order to determine the concentration of the bioactive agent in the receptor solution. The use of the shed snake skin has been found to provide reproducible and uniform results as a model barrier membrane. As well, the shed snake skin offers the advantages of being readily available and storable for an extended period of time. |