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Presentation
Programmable Transdermal Drug Delivery of Nicotine using Carbon Nanotube Membranes
Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Annual Meeting (SRNT) (2010)
  • Ji Wu, Georgia Southern University
  • Kalpana S. Paudel, University of Kentucky
  • Caroline L. Strasinger, University of Kentucky
  • Dana Hammell, University of Kentucky
  • Audra L. Stinchcomb, University of Kentucky
  • Bruce J. Hinds, University of Kentucky
Abstract
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have three key attributes that make them of great inter-est for novel applications such as programmed drug delivery: (1) atomically flat graphite surface allows for ideal fluid slip boundary conditions; (2) the cutting process to open CNTs inherently places functional chemistry at CNT core entrance; and (3) CNT are electrically conductive allowing for electrochemical reactions and applica-tion of electric fields gradients at CNT tips. Towards this goal, a composite membrane structure containing vertically aligned carbon nanotubes passing across a poly-styrene matrix film have been fabricated [Science 2004]. Pressure driven flux of a variety of solvents (H2O, hexane, decane ethanol, methanol) are 4-5 orders of mag-nitude faster than conventional Newtonian flow due to atomically flat graphite planes inducing nearly ideal slip conditions [Nature 2005]. These properties are nearly ideal for introducing efficient electro-phoretic and electro-osmotic flow to be used as the basis of a programmed transdermal delivery device. CNT tips are functionalized with a high density of negative charge allowing the unidirectional flow of positive cations under small bias, thus inducing an efficient flux of neutral molecules. Efficiencies as high as 1 neutral molecule per ion are seen in the small CNT pores, allowing stan-dard watch batteries to operate for 40 days. An in-vitro cell, composed of a reference electrode, reservoir solution, CNT membrane electrode, gel contact and human skin sample were assembled in a Franz cell. A differential model of diffusion in series (reservoir/CNT/gel/skin) explained observed dosage profile. Therapeutically useful fluxes for Nicotine treatment were controllably switched between, with 0.56 and 2.0 micromole/cm2-hr at 0mV and -600mV respectively.
Keywords
  • Programmable transdermal drug delivery,
  • Nicotine,
  • Carbon nanotube membranes
Disciplines
Publication Date
February 24, 2010
Location
Baltimore, MD
Citation Information
Ji Wu, Kalpana S. Paudel, Caroline L. Strasinger, Dana Hammell, et al.. "Programmable Transdermal Drug Delivery of Nicotine using Carbon Nanotube Membranes" Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Annual Meeting (SRNT) (2010)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ji_wu/14/