Development and in vitro evaluation of chitosan-based transdermal drug delivery systems for the controlled delivery of propranolol hydrochloride.

Membrane permeation-controlled transdermal drug delivery systems were prepared using the natural polymer, chitosan. An adhesive sealing technique was used to construct the devices. Propranolol hydrochloride was selected as the model drug for the present study. Chitosan membranes with different permeability to propranolol hydrochloride obtained by controlled cross-linking with glutaraldehyde were used to regulate the drug release in the devices. Chitosan gel was used as the drug reservoir. The ability of these devices to deliver the drug while supported on rabbit pinna skin was tested by conducting in vitro studies in modified Franz diffusion cells. The drug release profiles showed that the drug delivery is completely controlled by the devices. The rate of drug release was found to be dependent on the type of membrane used.