Topical Delivery of Coenzyme Q10-Loaded Microemulsion for Skin Regeneration

• Published in: Pharmaceutics Vol. 12; no. 4; p. 332
• Main Authors: Ryu, Kyeong-A, Park, Phil June, Kim, Seong-Bo, Bin, Bum-Ho, Jang, Dong-Jin, Kim, Sung Tae
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 07-04-2020; MDPI AG
• Subjects: coenzyme Q10; microemulsion; skin regeneration; topical administration; coenzyme Q10; microemulsion; topical administration; skin regeneration
• ISSN: 1999-4923; 1999-4923
• DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12040332

The aim of this study was to develop a coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) microemulsion system with improved solubility, penetration, and wound healing efficacy. Based on the pseudo-ternary diagram, microemulsions containing isopropyl myristate (IPM), Cremophor EL
, and Transcutol
HP were selected and confirmed to be nanosized (<20 nm) and thermodynamically stable based on the dilution and thermodynamic stability tests. The CoQ10-loaded microemulsion with a surfactant/co-surfactant (S/CoS) ratio of 2:1 (w/w %) demonstrated a higher permeation efficacy compared to microemulsions with S/CoS ratio of 3:1 or 4:1 (w/w %). Additionally, the CoQ10-loaded microemulsion with an S/CoS ratio of 2:1 demonstrated a relatively rapid wound healing effect in keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Overall, these data suggest that a microemulsion based on IPM, Cremophor EL
, and Transcutol
HP could be an effective vehicle for the topical administration of CoQ10 and could be utilized for the application of other therapeutic agents that have difficulty in penetrating the skin.