Development of a novel soft hydrogel for the transdermal delivery of testosterone

A soft hydrogel formulation for the transdermal delivery of testosterone (TS) was developed, and the effect of various skin-permeation enhancers was studied in vitro and in vivo. Testosterone was incorporated into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based soft hydrogel with polyisobutylene (PIB) and various skin-permeation enhancers (dodecylamine, HPE101, oleic acid, or lauric acid). In vitro rat-skin permeation of TS from the soft hydrogel was investigated using Keshary-Chien diffusion cells for 24 hr at 37°C. In vivo plasma-concentration profiles of TS after applying the soft hydrogel on the dorsal skin of rat were determined using a commercial radioimmunoassay kit. The formulated soft hydrogel formed a thin film on the skin within 2 to 3 min after application and remained in a dried-film state for at least 24 hr. Addition of PIB into the hydrogel to increase the adhesion resulted in a negligible reduction in the skin-permeation rate of TS. However, rat-skin permeation of TS increased with the addition of permeation enhancers both in vitro and in vivo. Dodecylamine at the concentration of 3% was the most effective among tested. Plasma concentration of TS significantly increased for at least 24 hr with the addition of dodecylamine. These results suggest the feasibility of the development of a soft hydrogel formulation for the transdermal delivery of TS.