A Review on Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems in Chronic Pain and Neuropathic Pain Management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69996/fmep.2026020Keywords:
Microneedles, Iontophoresis, Transdermal Drug Delivery SystemsAbstract
Chronic pain and neuropathic pain are major healthcare concerns worldwide due to their high prevalence, complex pathophysiology, and significant impact on patient quality of life. Conventional oral analgesic therapies are often limited by poor patient compliance, gastrointestinal disturbances, fluctuating plasma drug levels, and systemic toxicity. Transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) have gained considerable attention as an alternative therapeutic approach for the management of chronic and neuropathic pain. This review discusses the pathophysiology and classification of chronic pain, with particular emphasis on neuropathic pain conditions such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy and post-herpetic neuralgia. The review highlights the advantages of transdermal drug delivery over conventional routes, including sustained drug release, improved bioavailability, reduced systemic side effects, and enhanced patient adherence. Various formulation approaches, polymers, permeation enhancers, and evaluation parameters employed in the development of transdermal patches are also discussed. Furthermore, the review summarizes recent advancements in transdermal technologies including matrix patches, reservoir systems, microneedles, iontophoresis, and nanocarrier-based delivery systems. The therapeutic potential and limitations of currently available transdermal analgesic formulations are critically analyzed. The study concludes that transdermal drug delivery represents a promising and patient-centric strategy for effective chronic pain management and warrants further research for improved clinical applications
References
[1] A. B. Anindya, A. W. Alan, and S. C. Sandra, “Sodium channel blockers for the treatment of neuropathic pain,” Neurotherapeutics, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 663–678, 2009.
[2] W. J. Albery and J. Hadgraft, “Percutaneous absorption: In vivo experiments,” J. Pharm. Pharmacol., vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 140–147, 1979.
[3] B. J. Aungst et al., “Contributions of drug solubilization, partitioning, barrier disruption, and solvent permeation to the enhancement of skin permeation of various compounds with fatty acids and amines,” Pharm. Res., vol. 7, no. 7, pp. 712–718, 1990.
[4] R. Alvarez-Roman et al., “Biodegradable polymer nanocapsules containing a sunscreen agent: Preparation and photoprotection,” Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm., vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 191–195, 2001.
[5] H. C. Ansel, L. V. Allen, and N. G. Popovich, “Transdermal drug delivery systems,” in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms and Drug Delivery Systems, 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005, pp. 298–315.
[6] A. Amit and S. Shubhangi, “Approaches for breaking the barriers of drug permeation through transdermal drug delivery,” J. Control. Release, vol. 164, no. 1, pp. 26–40, 2012.
[7] A. V. Arie and W. Wim, “High-performance liquid chromatographic assay of mepivacaine enantiomers in human plasma,” J. Chromatogr. B, vol. 678, no. 2, pp. 369–372, 1996.
[8] C. S. Asbill and B. B. Michniak, “Percutaneous penetration enhancers: Local versus transdermal activity,” Pharm. Sci. Technol. Today, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 36–41, 2000.
[9] C. Amnuaikit and I. Ikeuchi, “Skin permeation of propranolol from polymeric films containing terpene enhancers,” Int. J. Pharm., vol. 289, nos. 1–2, pp. 167–178, 2005.
[10] R. Amir and C. E. Argoff, “The role of sodium channels in chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain,” J. Pain, vol. 7, no. 5, Suppl. 3, pp. S1–S29, 2006.
[11] A. Arellano and S. Santoyo, “Influence of propylene glycol and isopropyl myristate on the in vitro percutaneous penetration of diclofenac sodium from Carbopol gels,” Eur. J. Pharm. Sci., vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 129–135, 1998.
[12] A. K. M. Huq and S. U. Ahmed, “Design and in-vitro evaluation of compressed Kollidon® SR based salbutamol sulphate microcapsules,” J. Chem. Pharm. Res., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 14–23, 2011.
[13] M. J. Alvarez-Figueroa and J. Blanco-Méndez, “Transdermal delivery of methotrexate: Iontophoretic delivery from hydrogels and passive delivery from microemulsions,” Int. J. Pharm., vol. 215, nos. 1–2, pp. 57–65, 2001.
[14] A. Azeem and M. Rizwan, “Nanoemulsion components screening and selection,” AAPS PharmSciTech, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 69–76, 2009.
[15] A. Allen and E. Siegfried, “Significant absorption of topical tacrolimus in patients with Netherton syndrome,” Arch. Dermatol., vol. 137, no. 6, pp. 747–750, 2001.
[16] L. Amar and M. Geena, “Topical spray compositions,” U.S. Patent US6962691B1, 2000.
[17] W. B. Anthony and A. B. M. Annika, “Models of nociception: Hot-plate, tail-flick, and formalin tests in rodents,” Curr. Protoc. Neurosci., pp. 8.9.1–8.9.16, 2007.
[18] A. T. Adriana and V. L. Valentino, “Eudragit RS 100 microparticles containing cyclodextrin and glutathione,” Eur. J. Pharm. Sci., vol. 30, pp. 64–74, 2007.
[19] H. O. Ammar and M. Ghorab, “Evaluation of chemical penetration enhancers for transdermal delivery of aspirin,” Asian J. Pharm. Sci., vol. 3, pp. 96–105, 2007.
[20] M. C. Alison and M. L. Harriet, “Lidocaine patch 5%,” Drugs, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 245–249, 2000.
[21] M. E. G. Ahmed, H. W. Jun and A. A. Kassem, “In vitro release studies of flurbiprofen from topical formulations,” Drug Dev. Ind. Pharm., vol. 28, pp. 823–831, 2002.
[22] R. Baron, “Neuropathic pain: A clinical perspective,” Nat. Clin. Pract. Neurol., vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 95–106, 2006.
[23] D. Bridges, S. W. Thompson, et al., “Mechanisms of neuropathic pain,” Br. J. Anaesth., vol. 87, no. 1, pp. 12–26, 2001.
[24] A. Beydoun and M. M. Backonja, “Mechanistic stratification of antineuralgic agents,” J. Pain Symptom Manage., vol. 25, Suppl. 5, pp. S18–S30, 2003.
[25] B. Bendas, U. Schmalfuss, and R. Neubert, “Influence of propylene glycol on drug transport from hydrogels,” Int. J. Pharm., vol. 116, pp. 19–30, 1995.
[26] J. A. Bouwstra, “The skin barrier: A well-organized membrane,” Colloids Surf. A, vol. 123, pp. 403–413, 1997.
[27] B. W. Barry, “Drug delivery routes in the skin,” Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev., vol. 54, Suppl. 1, pp. S31– S40, 2002.
[28] N. Barker and J. Hadgraft, “Facilitated percutaneous absorption,” Int. J. Pharm., vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 193–202, 1981.
[29] A. Boucaud, “Ultrasound-mediated transdermal drug delivery,” Drug Discov. Today, vol. 9, no. 19, pp. 827–828, 2004.
[30] J. T. Beverley and C. F. Barrie, “The transdermal revolution,” Drug Discov. Today, vol. 9, no. 16, pp. 697–703, 2004.
[31] Rekha Gangula, Murali Mohan, and DayakarThalla, “Optimizing Medicine Dosage Recognition through Symptom Intensity Assessment with Support Vector Machines,” JCAI, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 16–25, 2024.
[32] A. Bakshi and A. Bajaj, “Metered dose transdermal spray formulation,” Indian J. Pharm. Sci., vol. 70, no. 6, pp. 733–739, 2008.
[33] A. J. M. Boulton, “Management of diabetic peripheral neuropathy,” Clin. Diabetes, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 9–15, 2005.
[34] K.Vaishali, “Health Education Reimagined Virtual Reality for Immersive Wellness Learning,” JCESH, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 55–66, 2024.
[35] I. H. Blank, “Factors influencing water content of stratum corneum,” J. Invest. Dermatol., vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 433–440, 1952.
[36] J. Bouwstra and G. Pilgram, “New aspects of skin barrier organization,” Skin Pharmacol. Appl. Skin Physiol., vol. 14, Suppl. 1, pp. 52–62, 2001.
[37] R. O. Bailey and A. L. Baltch, “Sensory motor neuropathy in AIDS,” Neurology, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 886–891, 1988.
