Rubber Polymers for Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems

Natural rubber latex is a colloidal dispersion of polymer particles in a liquid. It is harvested from rubber trees by a tapping process. Synthetic rubber is one type of artificial elastomer mainly synthesized from petroleum byproducts. It has good mechanical property, thermal stability, and compatibility with petroleum products. It can undergo much more elastic deformation under stress than most materials, and can return to its original size without changing permanently. Commonly, many drugs taken via the oral route are ineffective because of the first pass metabolism and drug degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, transdermal drug delivery systems can improve the disadvantage of orally taken drugs. There must be significant controlled drug release into the systemic blood circulation to target organs via the skin. In this review article, the use of rubber polymers in both natural and synthetic rubber types as a material for transdermal drug delivery systems will be reported.