Lipid Based Nanocarriers: Promising Drug Delivery System for Topical Application

Abstract

Lipid based delivery system is gaining significant attention of researchers working on the development of novel formulations for improved therapeutic efficacy and safety of drugs. Topical drug delivery is needed in treatment of skin, eyes, rectum, vagina disorders and systemic disorders having skin manifestations. Lipid nanocarriers have widespread application in the topical drug delivery due to the biocompatible, biodegradable, nontoxic and nonirritating nature of the lipid. Microemulsion and nanoemulsion contain lipids in the nanosize range which can lead to penetration of drug to the deeper skin layers. Solid lipid nanoparticles and nanolipid carriers act by forming an occlusive layer on the skin leading to increased hydration and penetration of the drug. Vesicular carriers such as liposomes, niosomes, ultradeformable vesicles, cubosomes etc. are also reported to enhance the penetration of the entrapped drugs in deeper layers of skin. These carrier systems are mainly composed of lipids, surfactants, and co‐surfactants which are safe and quite acceptable by regulatory authorities. The present review article focuses on different types of lipid nanocarriers used in topical drug delivery, their advantages and limitations, mechanism of enhanced penetration, work reported in the related literature, characterization tests and their safety and toxicity concerns.

The Emerging Role of Ionic Liquid-Based Approaches for Enhanced Skin Permeation of Bioactive Molecules: A Snapshot of the Past Couple of Years

“…Lipid-based/inspired nanosystems stem from ancient knowledge on the value of fatty acids and derived hydrolyzable lipids, especially phospholipids, to enhance percutaneous absorption of a variety of substances for both health- and beauty-care. Phospholipid-based emulsions, as well as micellar and liposomal formulations for skin care are all around us, hence it comes as no surprise that lipid-based/inspired nanocarriers have a prominent role in current approaches for DTD of [bio]pharmaceuticals [ 1 , 3 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. Still, nanosystems that do not [exclusively] derive from natural lipids have been thoroughly explored for percutaneous permeation of bioactive molecules; organic nanoformulations comprising either natural or synthetic polymers and/or surfactants other than natural lipids can be found in recent literature, covering distinct types of dendrimers, nanoparticles (NPs), nanoemulsions (NEs), micelles, and hydrogels, for diverse purposes.…”

Self-Assembling Drug Formulations with Tunable Permeability and Biodegradability

“…In the scope of this review, priority is given to formulations involving amphiphilic building blocks with surfactant-based vesicles emphasized. For the latter, a marked enhancement of permeability is documented [106][107][108], which presents them as beneficial nanocarriers for transdermal delivery of therapeutics. Therefore, in this review, we introduce transdermal drug delivery nanosystems as those showing advantages over other routes as being non-invasive, avoiding first-pass hepatic metabolism and providing continuous drug administration [109].…”

Cubosomal Betamethasone-Salicylic Acid Nano Drug Delivery System for Enhanced Management of Scalp Psoriasis

“…Cubosomes are discrete nanovesicles bi-continuous cubic phase liquid crystals composed of biodegradable lipid and water, with powerful ability to solubilize and encapsulate hydrophilic, hydrophobic and amphiphilic molecules, outstanding biocompatibility and bio-adhesive properties. 15 , 16 …”