Drugs Acting on Skin and

Mucous Membrane
• Topically applied drugs act primarily
by virtue of their physical,
mechanical or chemical properties.
• These drugs show local but some
also show systemic effects after
permeating the skin or mucous
membranes
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Demulcents:
• Agents acting on mucous membrane
• Inert substances that sooth the
inflamed/denuded mucosa or skin
by preventing its contact with
irritants in the surroundings.
• Highly molecular weight substances
that are applied as thick viscid
solutions in water.

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• Common constituents of lotions,
ointments, lozenges, gargles, electuaries
and cough preparations
• Also used as vehicle to mask the taste
• Form more stable suspension or
emulsion
• Examples are: Glycerine, propylene
glycol and polyethylene glycols.
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 Glycerin
• Hygroscopic
• Prepared from propylene
• Used as vehicle for many
preparations applied to skin
• Used in teat dips
• Used as suppository

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• It is miscible with water and alcohol
• When applied dermally, it forms a
film over the skin and then
preventing evaporation of moisture
from skin and by restoring softness
and elasticity of the skin.
• Topically, it is not absorbed
systemically and acts locally.

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• Glycerin is found in cough syrups,
elixirs, expectorants, mouthwashes,
skin and hair care products, soaps
and water based lubricants.
• It induces gut evacuation

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 Propylene glycol:
• Hygroscopic and miscible with alcohol,
acetone and volatile oils.
• Used in many topical, oral and
parenteral drug formulations
• Forms a non-greasy coating on skin
surface

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• Used as a solvent in many
pharmaceuticals, including oral,
injectable and topical formulations.
• Approved as food additive in dog food
• When applied on skin, it spreads evenly
and forms a non-greasy coating.

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 Polyethylene glycols:
• Used as vehicle, for topical, oral and
parenteral preparations
• Low molecular weight variants are used as
solvents in oral liquids and soft capsules
• Solid variants are used as ointment bases,
tablet binders, film coatings and lubricants.

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 Gums:
• Natural polysaccharides
• Used as suspending, thickening, gelling,
emulsifying and stabilizing agents
• Swell up in water and form thick emulsion
• Form mucilages
• E.g. Gum tragacanth

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 Glycyrrhiza:
• Sweat tasting demulcent derived from roots
of liquorice or glycyrrhiza plant
• Used in cough medication to sooth the
irritated throat
• Used as sweetening or flavouring agent in
mixtures

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 Other Demulcents:
• Milk
• Egg white
• Cream
• Starch solution

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 Emollients:
• Agents acting on skin for soothing effect
• Fatty or oily substances that sooth and soften
the skin
• Applied as oil or in the form of emulsion or
ointment
• Used on cracked and dry skin
• Used as vehicle for those medicines that are
insoluble in water.
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• Also called moisturizers
• When used topically, they form film
over skin and prevent
transepidermal water loss
• They protect, lubricate, and soften
dry and irritated surface thereby
restoring elasticity of cracked and
dry skin

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 Vegetable Oils:
• Olive oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, linseed oil,
peanut oil
• When applied topically, provide soothing
action
• Internally, act as cathartic and protectant for
GIT in corrosive poisoning
• Some oils are used as vehicles for some
injectable drugs.

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 Animal Fats:
• Lanolin (wool fat) and lard
• Used as bases for some ointments
• Used in ointments

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 Petroleum Products:
• Soft paraffin (vehicle), hard paraffin (stiffens
ointment bases) and liquid paraffin (mineral
oil for cathartic purpose)

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 Waxes:
• White wax (bleached bees wax) and yellow
wax (bees wax) to harden ointment bases.

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 Protectants/Protectives:
• Insoluble, chemically inert and finely ground
substances applied locally to cover skin and
m.m preventing them from irritants or to
prevent friction.
• 1. Dermal
• 2. Gastrointestinal
• 3. Occlusive

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 Dermal Protectants:
• Inert and finely divided powders, used to
cover and protect epithelial surfaces, ulcers,
or wounds.
• Some also have adsorbing properties.
• Hydrated Magnesium silicate, Calamine,
Zinc Oxide etc.

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 Talc
• Hydrated magnesium silicate
• Known as talcum powder
• Not soluble in water
• Relatively non-irritating and inert
• Spreads easily on skin and prevents friction
• Also used in talcum face powder

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 Calamine
• Zinc carbonate
• Insoluble in water
• It is good soothing and protectant agent
• Antiseptic and astringent properties
• A lotion of calamine is used in sun burn,
insect bite, urticaria etc.

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 Zinc oxide
• Insoluble in water
• Externally acts as antiseptic, astringent,
desiccant and protectant.
• Used as powder, lotion, or ointment in
eczema, burns or superficial wounds.

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 Gastrointestinal Protectants:
• Possess adsorbent, protective and antacid
properties
• Used to protect gastrointestinal mucosa
• Kaolin, Pectin, Magnesium trisilicate,
Aluminium hydroxide

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Occlusive Protectants/Mechanical
Protectants:
• Provide occlusive coating on skin
• Protect the skin from external irritants like
UV radiation, contact irritants and toxins.
• They are popular vehicles for many drugs
• Collodions and Dimethicone

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 Astringents:
• Agents that are used locally to precipitate
proteins on the surface layers of skin or m.m.
• Don’t penetrate the cells but act superficially
• 1. Mineral
• 2. Vegetable

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 Mineral Astringents:
• Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulphate, Zinc Carbonate,
Alum, Ferric Chloride etc.

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 Zinc oxide
• It possesses astringent, antiseptic, protectant
and desiccant actions
• Used in dusting powders, lotions, liniments,
ointments and creams

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 Zinc sulphate
• It has antiseptic, astringent and local emetic
actions
• Also used in various topical preparations.

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 Vegetable Astringents:
• Many plants show astringent effect due to
presence of tannic acid

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 Tannic acid
• Present in many plants
• Used extarnally as a protectant, astringent,
haemostatic, desiccant and styptic.
• Internally used as gastrointestinal astringent

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 Counter Irritants:
• Generally applied locally to the skin to cause
irritation and hyperaemia in an attempt to
relieve pain and promote healing of
underlying tissues.
• Used in chronic inflammatory lesions in skin
surface
• Widely used to relieve muscular and joint
pains.

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 Types of Counter Irritants:
• Rubefacients: Produce local hyperaemia on
skin surface and redness on skin
• Irritants: Produce local hyperaemia and
inflammation on skin surface
• Vesicants: Produce vesicles (blisters) on skin
surface.

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• 1. Volatile Oils: Eucalyptus oil, Turpentine Oil,
Methyl Salicylate, Camphor, Menthol
• 2. Ammonia and its Preparations:
Ammonium hydroxide, ammonium carbonate
• 3. Red Iodide of Mercury:
• 4. Cantharidin:
• 5. Heat:

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 Caustics:
• Or Corrosives are topical agents that cause
destruction of tissues at the site of
application.
• Silver Nitrate, Phenol/Carbolic Acid, Glacial
Acetic Acid

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 Silver nitrate
• Inorganic compound
• Applied externally to destroy warts and small
growths.
• Used for destruction of horn buds
(disbudding)
• Used as silver nitrate sticks in calves

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 Keratolytics and keratoplastics:
• Drugs that soften and loosen the keratinised
epithelium and facilitate its desquamation.
• Keratoplastics attempt to normalise
keratinisation by reducing excessive scaling
and hypertrophy of the horny layer of skin
and tend to prevent formation of more
scales.

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• Both are used on warts, psoriasis, chronic
dermatitis and fungal infection.
• Salicylic acid, Benzoic acid, Sulphur etc.

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Antiseptics and Wound Cleansing
Agents:
• To remove dirt and contaminating organisms
on wounds
• Povidone-Iodine, Chlorhexidine, Hydrogen
Peroxide, Sodium Chloride Solution, Alcohols

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 Antimicrobials:
• Antibacterials: Sulphonamides, Nitrofurans,
Polymyxins, Aminoglycosides, Tetracyclines,
Chloramphenicol, Bacitracin, Erythromycin
etc.
• Antifungals: Ketoconazole, Miconazole,
Nystatin etc.

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 Ectoparasiticides:
• Pyrethroid, Organophosphate, Carbamate
etc.

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 Glucocorticoids:
• Included in many topical skin preparations.
• Hydrocortisone, Prednisolone,
Betamethasone, Dexamethasone etc..

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