Tape Stripping

Tape stripping is a standard technique for investigating drug penetration into skin. The minimally invasive nature and easy procedure enable in vitro and in vivo studies and correlation even with human skin. This chapter introduces the technique and discusses essential aspects of the procedure. Infinite- vs. finite-dose experiments are briefly explained, as well as the aspect of lateral diffusion. The status of efforts to use tape stripping for bioequivalence studies is outlined, and the possibility to use drug-concentration depth profiles obtained by stripping for in silico modeling. Moreover, the chapter summarizes analytical techniques to investigate tape stripping samples by referring to recent studies analyzing chemicals, drugs, drug carriers, or endogenous molecules as diagnostics (quantitative and/or with simultaneous imaging to gain spatial distribution). A brief comparison with noninvasive alternative analytical methods for skin penetration studies is given. Finally, related techniques for skin microbiome studies, differential stripping to investigate hair follicle delivery, and Sebutape are introduced. The chapter should deliver the essential knowledge to understand and perform tape stripping but also encourage readers to combine this traditional sampling method with current and new analytics and applications.