Lipid Nanoparticles as a Skin Wound Healing Drug Delivery System: Discoveries and Advances

Abstract

: Chronic wounds are a remarkable cause of morbidity, requiring long-time treatments with significant impact on quality of life and high costs for public health. Although there are a variety of topical skin preparations commercially available, they have several limitations that frequently impair wound healing, such as drug instability, toxicity, limited time of action and ineffective skin permeation. In recent years, researchers have focused on the development of new effective treatments for wound healing and frequently appeal for nanometric drug delivery systems to overcome such obstacles. In dermatology, lipid nanoparticles (LNP) have received great attention of researchers due to its great functionalities, greater adhesion to the skin and film formation, enabling the hydration and maintenance of skin integrity, as well as presents a more effective penetration through the skin barrier. This review provides an update on topical formulations based on Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC) as wound healing treatments. Both SLN and NLC are able to increase solubility and stability of active pharmaceutical ingredients, and to increase skin penetration compared to the free drugs. Additionally, SLN and NLC can increase pharmacological activity, increase the release profile of the drugs, promote synergistic effects and improve the sensory properties of the final formulation. Topical dosage forms containing nanoparticles have been extensively evaluated for wound healing activity, mainly the dressings, films and scaffolds. Therefore, lipid nanoparticles have contributed to improve wound healing therapies, including when incorporated into other dosage forms, with better efficacy and lesser adverse effects than conventional formulations.

Self-Gelling Solid Lipid Nanoparticle Hydrogel Containing Simvastatin as Suitable Wound Dressing: An Investigative Study

“…Furthermore, SLNs being occlusive in nature have good adhesion and film-forming capacity. Both the properties aid in speedy wound healing due to increased hydration and skin integrity [ 24 ]. A report from our lab earlier established the potential of SLNs as scaffold for attachment of stem cells and as cell differentiation inducers [ 25 ].…”

Features, applications, and sustainability of lipid nanoparticles in cosmeceuticals

“…Using this method, it was possible to figure out that the viscoelastic properties of LNPs are dependent on the level of lipid components ( Souto et al, 2004a , Souto et al, 2004b ). In practice, these results showed that LNP dispersions have sufficient viscosity or fluidity for easy application, and sufficient elasticity to adhere onto the skin ( Garcês et al, 2018 , de Souza et al, 2020 ). One of the purposes of cosmetic and toiletry products is to diminish the desire to grate that may cause skin damage.…”

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

“…SLNs and NLCs are also showing promise to promote skin regeneration [ 75 , 76 , 77 ]. Recent investigations focused on DTD of essential oils having healing effects due to either a dual anti-inflammatory/collagenesis-inducing action of the oil itself [ 78 ], or to a synergic antimicrobial and healing action elicited by combination of the essential oil with specific components in the lipid nanocarrier (e.g., oleic acid) [ 79 ].…”