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SCROTUM BEST DRUG-ABSORPTION AREA
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Men have a major advantage over women
when it comes to absorbing drugs through the skin.
The scrotum is 40 times more permeable than other areas of the body, a medical conference at Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital was told.
Dr Sheree Cross, senior research officer in the University of Queensland's Therapeutics Research Unit, said another favourable site for drug absorption is behind the ear.
The skin is the largest, most accessible organ of the body, which is one reason numerous pharmaceuticals have been developed for use on the skin, some to stay on the skin and others to be absorbed.
It is becoming a popular mode of delivery because it does not involve a pass through the liver, Dr Cross said.
However, there are limitations, including the fact that only potent drugs can get through and there is a lag time.
Moreover, some people develop tolerance, and some develop allergic or irritant reactions.
"With drugs like aspirin, where you take a couple of 500 mg tablets, the patch size you would need to deliver it transdermally would be the equivalent of lying in a bath of it for about an hour.
"However, in some of the new designer drugs, there are very potent specific molecules being developed, and they may be transferred more effectively via the skin."
In order to find methods of improving absorption, Dr Cross is using human skin collected from tummy tucks and breast reconstructions because animal skin has different properties from human skin.
An examination of topical anti-inflammatories found that only a little was being absorbed through the skin, she said.
If improved absorption methods can be found, this will prove an ideal way of delivering anaesthetics.
Dr Cross said it would be a major advantage for diabetics to take insulin transdermally rather than having to inject themselves.
"We are finding that the skin is such a good barrier it doesn't want to let any of the larger molecules through.
"With the insulin molecule, it will be at least another 10 years before we find out which are the bits of the molecule we need to get through the skin."
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