Partition coefficient and glutathione penetration of topical Antiaging: Preformulation study

Glutathione (GSH) is a broad antioxidant of the thiol-tripeptide group, highly hydrophilic, which has limitation for topical preparations. A lipophilic surfactant is an alternative method to enhance the glutathione partition. The purpose of this study was to determine the apparent partition coefficient (APC log) of glutathione; glutathione with additional surfactant at different HLB value of HLB 4.3; 5.5; 7; 11 and selected HLB was studied for penetration. The study was conducted by dissolving glutathione in water plus various HLB surfactants. Determination method of partition coefficient was done by shake flash method. The penetration test was conducted using the parameter of decreasing Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 expression on the balb-c male skin. The results can be used as a reference for topical glutathione formulations as these results are preformulation study.