International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

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 Volume 11, Issue 6 (June 2024), Pages: 59-67

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 Original Research Paper

Transdermal drug delivery using low-frequency sonophoresis: COMSOL simulation of piezoelectric array transducers

 Author(s): 

 Sehreen Moorat 1, *, Ahsan Ahmed Ursani 2, Aftab Memon 2, Nashrul Fazli Mohd Nasir 3, Majid Nour 4

 Affiliation(s):

 1Institite of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Liaquat University of Medical Health and Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
 2Department of Biomedical Engineering, Telecommunication Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Pakistan
 3Faculty of Electronic Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Perlis, Malaysia
 4Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

 Full text

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 * Corresponding Author. 

  Corresponding author's ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9646-9537

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2024.06.007

 Abstract

This study explores the design and simulation of specialized sonophoretic transducers aimed at enhancing the transdermal delivery of large drugs. We examine different elements of the transducer's design, such as the choice of materials, its dimensions, and the matching of acoustic impedance. We selected PZT-4, from the lead zirconate titanate (PZT) group, as the main material due to its excellent piezoelectric features and durability. We also use polymer matrices to make the transducer less rigid. The simulation outcomes, using COMSOL Multiphysics, cover five different transducer array sizes (8x5, 10x6, 12x8, 14x9, and 16x10) within the frequency range of 20-40 kHz. We measure the acoustic pressure at a depth of 0.1 mm under the skin, which is key for successful drug delivery through the skin. Our results show how increasing the size of the array affects the transducer's efficiency. We confirm our simulation results by comparing them with a previously published ANSYS simulation and finding good alignment. This comparison adds reliability to our methods and outcomes. The study also proposes creating a small, wrist-mounted device for drug delivery that could be combined with drug patches, making it user-friendly. Moreover, we stress the need to follow Mechanical Index (MI) guidelines to avoid damaging the skin. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of the array size in the performance of the transducer and confirm the validity of our simulation approach, paving the way for innovative solutions in drug delivery that could have wide applications in healthcare.

 © 2024 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Sonophoresis, Low frequency, Transdermal drug delivery, COMSOL, Acoustic pressure, Mechanical index

 Article history

 Received 17 January 2024, Received in revised form 22 May 2024, Accepted 27 May 2024

 Acknowledgment 

No Acknowledgment.

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Moorat S, Ursani AA, Memon A, Nasir NFM, and Nour M (2024). Transdermal drug delivery using low-frequency sonophoresis: COMSOL simulation of piezoelectric array transducers. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 11(6): 59-67

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 Figures

 Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3

 Tables

 Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Table 4

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