Polymeric membranes with human skin-like permeability properties and uses thereof
View Patent ↗The present invention provides synthetic membranes which are suitable as a human skin substitute for the investigation of transdermal diffusion of candidate pharmaceutical and cosmetic compounds. The membranes according to the present invention exhibit human skin-like permeability properties with respect to the diffusion of a wide range of compounds having widely different physico-chemical properties.
1. A modified ultrafiltration membrane, wherein the modification comprises treatment of the membrane with a mixture of a fatty acid ester and a polydimethylsiloxane, wherein the modified ultrafiltration membrane comprises human skin-like permeability properties and a pore size of 0.1 microns or smaller than 0.1 microns.
2. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the fatty acid ester is isopropyl myristate and the polydimethylsiloxane is silicone oil.
3. The ultrafiltration membrane of claim 1 , wherein the membrane is a polyethersulfone membrane.
4. A device containing the membrane according to claim 1 .
5. The modified ultratiltration membrane of claim 1 , wherein human skin-like permeability properties comprise a high degree of correlation with human skin for the diffusion of one or more compounds.
6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the device is as multiwell screening plate comprising as plurality of wells, each well comprising the membrane.
7. A modified ultrafiltration membrane, wherein the modification comprises treatment of the membrane with a mixture of isopropyl myristate and silicone oil, wherein the modified ultrafiltration membrane comprises human skin-like permeability properties and a pore size of 1.0 microns or smaller than 1.0 microms.
8. The uttrafiltration membrane of claim 7 , wherein the membrane is a polyethersulfone membrane.
9. The modified ultrafiltration membrane of claim 7 , wherein human skin-like permeability properties comprise a high degree of correlation with human skin for the diffusion of one or more compounds.
10. A device containing the membrane according to claim 7 .
11. A modified polyethersuifone membrane, wherein the modification comprises treatment of the membrane with a mixture of a fatty acid ester and a polydimethylsiloxane, wherein the modified polyethersulfone membrane comprises human skin-like permeability properties.
12. A method of making a synthetic membrane which comprises human skin-like permeability properties, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane; and (b) coating the membrane with a mixture of as fatty acid ester and a polydimethylsiloxane, thereby resulting in a synthetic membrane which comprises human skin-like permeability properties.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fatty acid ester is isopropyl myristate and the polydimethylsiloxane is silicone oil.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the synthetic membrane exhibits diffusion similar to human skin it compounds having different physico-chemical properties.