A Comprehensive Review on Nanotechnology-Based Innovations in Topical Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Skin Cancer

Abstract

Background: Skin is the largest organ of the body and helps to regulate several physiological functions. It acts as a barrier that protects the body against UV-radiation, toxic substances, infections, etc. The abnormal growth of the skin cells is called skin cancer. Different types of skin cancer can be classified as Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC); which mainly occur due to chronic exposure of UV- sunlight and pollution. Methods: The conventional topical treatment of skin cancer such as cream, gel, ointment, etc are more occlusive and thus they don’t penetrate deep into the skin (dermal layer), while, it remains at the upper part of the skin (epidermal layer). Stratum corneum act as a physiological barrier for the drug-loaded in the conventional formulation. The novel carrier systems have the potential to facilitate the penetration of the drug deep into the skin (dermal layer) because these have less size and higher flexibility than conventional treatment. Conclusion: In the present review, we have discussed various novel carrier systems being investigated for the topical application of chemotherapeutic agents for efficient skin targeting and better dermatological as well as therapeutic benefits with minimal systemic exposure and toxicity.

Formulation, Optimization and Evaluation of Luteolin-Loaded Topical Nanoparticulate Delivery System for the Skin Cancer

“…This helps to retain the drug at the skin site [18,19]. The edge activator promotes skin permeation through an intercellular lipid matrix by mixing with stratum corneum as well as by altering the lamellae [18,20,21]. It can permeate with low-, medium-and high-molecular-weight drugs [22].…”

Nanomaterial Technology and Soft Tissue Sarcomas

“…Moreover, significant progress has been made in the field of nanomaterials, which exhibit unique physical and chemical properties and are widely used in the health and medical fields ( 47 ). The application of nanomaterials offers potential advantages in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, including cancer ( 7 , 48 , 49 ). For example, nanomaterials can be used to detect tumor markers for the purpose of diagnosis and evaluating prognosis ( 50 ).…”

“…Nanomaterial technology has attracted significant attention from researchers over the years and tremendous progress has been made in this field. The unique physical and functional properties of nanomaterials make them potentially suitable for the management of many diseases, including cancer ( 7 ). Therefore, nanomaterials are widely used for cancer diagnosis, monitoring, imaging, and treatment.…”

Lipid Nanoparticulate Drug Delivery Systems: Recent Advances in the Treatment of Skin Disorders

“…Numerous studies have been devoted to the efficacy of ethosomes for dermal drug delivery in both occlusive and non-occlusive applications [95,96]. They demonstrate an excellent ability to improve the skin permeation of drugs, both highly lipophilic and highly hydrophilic active ingredients [97][98][99][100][101]. A certain number of studies are reported for the superior skin delivery of ethosomes compared with liposomes, transferosomes, and commercial formulations [102].…”