This is a crossover pharmacokinetic clinical study in healthy volunteers to compare metronidazole delivery through skin when a gel or cream metronidazole product is applied to skin treated with a micropatch.
The goal of this crossover pharmacokinetic clinical study in healthy volunteers is to compare metronidazole delivery through skin when a gel or cream metronidazole product is applied to skin treated with a micropatch. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Is micropatch transdermal delivery dependent on the metronidazole product formulation? * Is transdermal delivery dependent on micropore lifetime of the skin after micropatch application? Participants will be divided into groups based on metronidazole product (gel or cream). * The metronidazole product will be applied to micropatch-treated skin in study period one. Measurements of the skin barrier will be made before and after micropatch treatment. * Daily blood samples will be collected for up to 5 days after the micropatch and metronidazole are first applied. * Following a one-week washout period, the same study process will be repeated except that metronidazole product will be applied to skin without micropatch pretreatment.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
24
Half of enrolled subjects will undergo this intervention. Baseline measurements of transepidermal water loss, electrical resistance, and color will be made at 3 sites on the upper arm. Color will only be measured at baseline. Micropatch application will occur at 2 sites, followed by application of metronidazole gel and then covered with an occlusive covering. One site will be covered with an occlusive covering only (no micropatch or gel). At 48 hours occlusive coverings and gel are removed and electrical resistance measurements are repeated. Fresh gel and occlusive patches are reapplied. At 96 hours the patches are removed and electrical resistance measurements repeated. Blood samples are taken daily for 5 days. Measurements from the 3rd site allow each subject to serve as their own control in data analysis. After a minimum 7 days washout period, all of these procedures will be repeated again except that there will be no micropatch application at any of the 3 sites.
Half of enrolled subjects will undergo this intervention. Baseline measurements of transepidermal water loss, electrical resistance, and color will be made at 3 sites on the upper arm. Color will only be measured at baseline. Micropatch application will occur at 2 sites, followed by application of metronidazole cream and then covered with an occlusive covering. One site will be covered with an occlusive covering only (no micropatch or cream). At 48 hours occlusive coverings and cream are removed and electrical resistance measurements are repeated. Fresh cream and occlusive patches are reapplied. At 96 hours the patches are removed and electrical resistance measurements repeated. Blood samples are taken daily for 5 days. Measurements from the 3rd site allow each subject to serve as their own control in data analysis. After a minimum 7 days washout period, all of these procedures will be repeated again except that there will be no micropatch application at any of the 3 sites.
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Measurement of maximum serum metronidazole concentration (Cmax)
Cmax is the highest metronidazole concentration measured in the serum.
Time frame: 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, 48, 72, 96, 98, 100, 104, and 120 hours
Time of maximum serum metronidazole concentration (Tmax)
Tmax is the time point at which the maximum drug concentration in serum is measured.
Time frame: 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, 48, 72, 96, 98, 100, 104, and 120 hours
Area under the serum-concentration curve from 0-120 hours
Area under the serum-concentration-time curve is a mathematical measure of total systemic exposure to metronidazole in the body.
Time frame: 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 6, 8, 24, 48, 72, 96, 98, 100, 104, and 120 hours
Skin color
Lightness/darkness of the skin is measured with a tristimulus colorimeter and reported in a unitless value called L\*. Higher L\* values denote lighter skin, while lower L\* values denote darker skin. Data are collected as the mean of measurements from 3 sites on the upper arm.
Time frame: Baseline (Day 1)
Change in transepidermal water loss after micropatch application
The percent change in transepidermal water loss from baseline to post-micropatch application at the upper arm sites will be calculated. These data are only collected from the micropatch sites. Percent change is calculated as (transepidermal water loss after micropatch application/baseline transepidermal water loss) x 100. Data will be calculated as the mean of measurements from micropatch application sites at the upper arm.
Time frame: Baseline (Day 1) and post-micropatch application (Day 1)
Change in electrical resistance after micropatch application
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Baseline measurements of transepidermal water loss will be made at 3 sites on the upper arm. In the study periods that have micropatch application, the measurements will be repeated after micropatch application and removal (before any metronidazole product is applied).
Baseline measurements of electrical resistance will be made at 3 sites on the upper arm. In the study periods that have micropatch application, the measurements will be repeated after micropatch application and removal (before any metronidazole product is applied). In all study periods the measurements will also be repeated at 48 hours and 96 hours, when metronidazole product and occlusive coverings are removed from the skin.
Baseline measurements of skin color will be made at 3 sites on the upper arm.
All subjects will undergo this intervention. Baseline measurements of transepidermal water loss, electrical resistance, and color will be made at 3 sites on the upper arm (color only measured at baseline). Two sites will have micropatch application + metronidazole product with occlusive covering. One site will have micropatch application + occlusive covering, no metronidazole product. Micropatch application will only occur on day 1 (a micropatch is a patch of 50 microneedles). Transepidermal water loss and electrical resistance are repeated after micropatch application and removal. At 48 hours occlusive coverings and metronidazole are removed; electrical resistance measurements are repeated. Metronidazole product and fresh occlusive patches are reapplied. At 96 hours patches are removed and electrical resistance measurements repeated. Blood samples are taken daily for 5 days. Measurements from the 3rd site allow each subject to serve as their own control in data analysis.
The percent change in electrical resistance from baseline to post-micropatch application at the upper arm sites will be calculated. These data are only collected from the micropatch sites. Percent change is calculated as (electrical resistance after micropatch application/baseline electrical resistance) x 100. Data will be calculated as the mean of measurements from micropatch application sites at the upper arm.
Time frame: Baseline (Day 1) and post-micropatch application (Day 1)