An in-depth investigation of the C2 polymer as a next-generation transdermal drug delivery platform

Abstract

Dermal administration of medications offers high accessibility and convenience for users. Transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) have emerged as a promising approach for various applications, including cosmetics, medical purposes, disease treatment, and prevention. While some materials such as hyaluronic acid (HA) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) have been previously investigated for TDDS, our research recently discovered a next-generation material known as the poly(dimethylsilylethylene-dimethylsiloxane) (PDDS) series. Among the PDDS series, the C2 polymer showed high biocompatibility and superior transdermal drug delivery efficacy. In this study, we systematically investigated the C2 polymer and discovered several remarkable attributes. One of the key findings is its high potential for large-scale synthesis. We have demonstrated the biodegradability of the C2 polymer and confirmed that the degradation products derived from the C2 polymer showed negligible toxicity. The C2 polymer also displayed superior skin penetration abilities, allowing for the efficient delivery of hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds. Our study positions the C2 polymer as a promising next-generation polymeric material for TDDS.