Permeation studies comparing cobra skin with human skin using nicotine transdermal patches

Cobra skin (Naja Naja Khaotia) was used as a barrier for an in vitro permea tion study using nicotine. Fluxes of nicotine that permeated from Nicotinel l(R) through cobra skin (CS) taken from the head body, and tail were 233.93 +/- 1608, 206.87 +/- 19.00, and 211.26 +/- 22.93 mu g/cm(2)/hr(1/2), respe ctively (n = 6). This indicated no significant difference (p >.05), Abdomin al human epidermis (HE), obtained from cadavers, and the CS provided identi cal permeation kinetics for nicotine, which can be described by, M-t = 4M(x ) (Dt/pi L-2)(1/2). The mean flux of nicotine formulated as an acrylic tran sdermal patch that permeated through HE was 137.92 +/- 67.79 mu g/cm(2)/ hr (1/2) (4 specimens, n = 12), whereas that through CS was 180.13 +/- 41.05 m u g/cm(2)/ hr(1/2) (4 specimens, n = 15). The ratio of the fluxes of nicoti ne from formulated patches having three different nicotine contents using C S and HE was 1.22 to 1, respectively, for each of the patches irrespective of nicotine content. The coefficients of variation of the nicotine permeate d were 22.79% and 49.15% for CS and HE, respectively, that is, a narrower v ariation of results tvas obtained with CS. This indicated that CS could be used for nicotine permeation studies.