Poly(å-Caprolactone) Nanocapsules as Carriers for Transdermal Delivery of Hinokitiol

Polycaprolactone(PCL) nanocapsule was achieved by emulsification-diffusion method. Hinokitiol(HKL) dissolved in octyl salicylate(OS). An emulsifier was dissolved into the saturated water so that the concentration is 0.2 wt%. All the experiments carried out resulted in the formation of spherical capsules. The particle size distribution was determined by DLS and EF-TEM. The size of nanocapsules was 100~500nm.The thermo grams of nanocapsules and PCL showed melting point of 30~40°C, 60°C, respectively. Naonocapsules melting point was less than PCL.Because PCL was affected by octylsalicylate. We evaluated the effect of nanocapsule and chemical enhancers on skin penetration of HKL in vitro. Hinokitiol has been studied as an anti-microbial agents and antitumor agents. An enhancer, 1-dodecyl-2-pyrrolidone, could improve the skin permeation of HKL much more effectively than other enhancers. However, HKL-loaded nanocapsules affected permeation of HKL by different mechanisms that chemical enhancers. Three types of nanocapsules showed slow release rate of HKL.