Lipid-based molecular targeting systems (L-MTS)

Another consideration for possible skin absorption enhancement is the hydrophobic similarity idea. Typically, hydrophilic substances penetrate the skin very poorly, whereas hydrophobic compounds tend to interact with the skin better due to the lipophilic nature of the stratum corneum. Since most protein drugs are fairly hydrophilic, the limitation for absorption will be this high degree of water-solubility, and not necessarily the size of the molecule. A novel technology was developed to modify IFNα with lipid residues in order to increase its hydrophobicity and hence increase cutaneous delivery. This technology can be applied to various cytokines and other proteins and resulted in a 10-fold increase in dermal and transdermal delivery of IFNα through the skin compared to IFNα in solution.