In vitro drug release and ex vivo percutaneous absorption of resveratrol cream using HPLC with zirconized silica stationary phase

• This is the first study for resveratrol permeation from a vanishing cream vehicle.
• In vitro drug release and ex vivo percutaneous absorption followed Higuchi's kinetics.
• Ex vivo percutaneous absorption showed a drug flux of 0.87 μg cm−2 h−1.
• 20.48 μg of resveratrol was retained at the stratum corneum.
• A total of 62.6% of the resveratrol was able to permeate the human skin.

Since the designs of optimal formulations for resveratrol permeation via the skin are lacking, the aim of this study was to establish the profile of resveratrol permeability into and across human skin. For that, a laboratory-made chromatographic column was used (Zr-PMODS), with its performance being compared to a traditional C18 column. In vitro drug release was conducted with polysulfone membranes, and the flux (JS) was 30.49 μg cm−2 h−1), with a lag time (LT) of 0.04 h, following a pseudo-first-order kinetics. For ex vivo percutaneous absorption using excised female human skin, the kinetic profile was the same, but JS was 0.87 μg cm−2 h−1 and LT was 0.97 h. From the initials 49.30 μg applied to the skin, 9.50 μg were quantified in the receptor medium, 20.48 μg was retained at the stratum corneum (do not account as permeated) and 21.41 μg was retained at the viable epidermis + dermis (account as permeated), totalizing 30.90 μg of resveratrol permeated after 24 h of application (62.6%). From these results, one can conclude that a person using the 1-g emulsion dose released by the pump containing 20 mg of resveratrol will have, theoretically, 12.53 mg of it liberated into his bloodstream, gradually and continuously for 24 h.