Nanocarriers for Skin Applications: Where Do We Stand?

Abstract

Skin penetration of active molecules for treatment of diverse diseases is a major field of research owing to the advantages associated with the skin like easy accessibility, reduced systemic‐derived side effects, and increased therapeutic efficacy. Despite these advantages, dermal drug delivery is generally challenging due to the low skin permeability of therapeutics. Although various methods have been developed to improve skin penetration and permeation of therapeutics, they are usually aggressive and could lead to irreversible damage to the stratum corneum. Nanosized carrier systems represent an alternative approach for current technologies, with minimal damage to the natural barrier function of skin. In this Review, the use of nanoparticles to deliver drug molecules, genetic material, and vaccines into the skin is discussed. In addition, nanotoxicology studies and the recent clinical development of nanoparticles are highlighted to shed light on their potential to undergo market translation.

Nanoemulgel: A Novel Nano Carrier as a Tool for Topical Drug Delivery

“…One is cell to cell transfer involving concentration gradientbased movement called transcellular transport or intracellar transport, while the other is a passage through intercellular spaces or paracellular transport [118]. Whereas there is a third pathways called transappendageal transport, its influence on drug penetration is limited because hair follicles and glandular ducts make up negligible portion of the total surface area of the skin [16]. Generally, ex-vivo permeation studies involve the examination of nano-emulgel formulation on isolated tissue in a simulated biological medium.…”

Advances in the modulation of ROS and transdermal administration for anti-psoriatic nanotherapies

“…Vitamin A is an indirect antioxidant that indirectly regulates many genes involved in mediating typical antioxidant responses and can prevent lipid peroxidation, thus remodeling metabolic pathways and gene expression profiles in tissues and cells [ 139 ]. However, their traditional therapeutic routes targeting the abovementioned inflammatory network are still not satisfactory due to their substantial toxicity concerning internal organs, nonspecific targeting, low effective drug concentration of skin lesions, specific risks of infection, and poor patient compliance [ 140 , 141 ]. 90% of voters in the International eDelphi Consensus Meeting recommended switching the MTX route to subcutaneous administration against psoriasis for averting oral adverse events [ 142 ].…”

“…Topical therapy is the safe, convenient, and most widely used approach for the transdermal delivery of classical antipsoriatic drugs to treat mild psoriasis and consolidation treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis in current clinical applications. the circumvent of adverse reactions and sufficient concentration of therapeutic drug at the target lesion could be facilitated by transdermal administrations [ 141 , 143 ]. A number of strategies for the transdermal delivery of bioactive drugs have been investigated for the clinic.…”

“…Nowadays, transdermal drug delivery of systemic drugs with particular advantages of avoiding first-pass metabolism, lesser side effects, pain-free and noninvasive self-administration for patients brings into investigation [ 145 , 146 ]. Still, effectively cutaneous drug absorption becomes challenging in the local treatment of psoriasis, particularly for its thickened epidermis [ 141 ].…”

Liposomal Amphotericin B for Treatment of Leishmaniasis: From the Identification of Critical Physicochemical Attributes to the Design of Effective Topical and Oral Formulations

“…Adjacent to the epidermis is the dermis, which performs important functions of nutrition and support. The innermost layer of the skin, the hypodermis, is a fat layer providing mechanical support and thermal insulation [ 82 , 83 , 84 ].…”