Preparation and Transdermal Performance Study of a New S‐(‐)‐Nicotine‐Loaded Nano Flexible Liposome Hydrogel Patch with Long‐Lasting and Sustained Drug‐Release Effects

Abstract The aim of this study was to develop a new nicotine transdermal patch: S‐(‐)‐Nicotine‐loaded nano flexible liposome hydrogel patch (S‐(‐)‐Nicotine‐NFL‐HGP), which combined liposome and hydrogel to achieve the long‐lasting and sustained release of S‐(‐)‐Nicotine for the treatment of nicotine withdrawal syndrome (NWS). The S‐(‐)‐Nicotine nanoscale flexible liposomes (S‐(‐)‐Nicotine‐NFL) were prepared using the thin film hydration method, and then combined with a three‐dimensional structured hydrogel to prepare S‐(‐)‐Nicotine‐NFL‐HGP. The initial bond strength (IBS) was (18 ± 2) s, the lasting bond strength (EBS) was (23.5 ± 3.4) s, and the appearance was pale yellow. The cumulative release rate of the patch was 64.8% within 48 h and the Higuchi equation of the drug release process was y = 9.47x 1/2 −1.13 ( R 2 = 0.99412). The cumulative transmittance per unit area of the patch after 48 h was (1047 ± 25.0) µg/cm 2 and the dermal retention was (35.1 ± 4.2) µg/cm 2 . The Higuchi equation of the transdermal drug process showed the highest fit in the transdermal experiments with a long‐lasting and sustained release of S‐(‐)‐Nicotine. Stability study results showed that the IBS, EBS, appearance, and the performance of drug release of the patch were almost unchanged within 90 days, which had excellent stability. The patch prepared in this study has potential application prospects.