Ordered Mesoporous Silica for Drug Delivery in Topical Applications

The aim of this PhD work was to develop and characterize all physicochemical aspects of this new CRT for CTZ and AKS using OMS until the introduction onto the market. The first part comprehends the characterization of different OMS synthesized and commercially available; the study of different incorporation techniques based on hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of API; the characterization of the new impregnated OMS. Consequently, the work is oriented on the interaction details of API on silica surfaces. A closer look is given to the big questions of OMS-drug phenomena: mobility, solubility, bioavailability, etc. Therefore, all the scCO2 incorporation parameters have been studied, highlighting the differences between OMS and the spatial assembly of drug inside the mesoporous channels. Thus, the patented CRT has been developed for AKS describing all the main aspect of the innovative semisolid formulation. In-vitro and ex-vivo release test has been produced and characterized, revealing the functionality of the OMS reservoir effect. Finally, the same DDS have been developed for CTZ. Both the DDS have been compared with commercially available creams.