Printable-Microencapsulated Ascorbic Acid for Personalized Topical Delivery

Abstract

This study presents the successful development of printable-microencapsulated ascorbic acid (AA) for personalized topical delivery using laser printing technology. Rice flour with a 10% AA content was selected as an encapsulation material. Hydrophobic nanosilica was used to create negative electrostatic charges on the microencapsulated surfaces via a high-speed mixture. This process facilitated the microencapsulated AA fabrication using a commercial laser printer and produced a well-patterned design with some minor print defects such as banding and scattering. The amount of encapsulated AA per area was 0.28 mg/cm2 and the RGB color code was 0 0 0. An emulsion carrier system comprising pentylene glycol (P5G) or diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (DEGEE) Tween 20 oleic acid and deionized (DI) water at a ratio of 20:30:30:20 was developed to enhance AA transmission into the skin. The Franz diffusion cell technique was used to investigate topical absorption on Strat-M membranes using P5G and DEGEE as enhancers. The steady-state fluxes were 8.40 (?0.64) and 10.04 (?0.58) ?g/h/cm2 for P5G and DEGEE respectively. Cytotoxicity tests conducted on fibroblast cells revealed low cytotoxicity for the encapsulation products and carriers. ? 2023 American Chemical Society.