Enhancing skin penetration of epigallocatechin gallate by modifying partition coefficient using reverse micelle method.

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has been reported as inducing apoptosis in cervical cancer. However, EGCG demonstrates low skin permeability. In order to develop topical delivery of EGCG, the partition coefficient, log P, was modified using a reverse micelle method. During this study, Tween 80 and Span 80 were added to EGCG at hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values of 4.3, 6 and 8. The results showed that lowering the HLB value increases the log P value of EGCG and results in higher IC values in Henrietta Lacks (HeLa) cancer cells than that of EGCG. Surfactant-modified EGCG-HLB 6 produced faster and deeper skin penetration than EGCG. Modification of log P value using a combination of Tween 80 and Span 80 improved cytotoxicity and topical delivery of EGCG.