Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for the Formulation of Topical Anti-Inflammatory Nanomedicines Based on Natural Substances

Abstract

The main function of the skin is to protect the body from the external environment. However, the skin can undergo inflammatory processes, due to genetic, hormonal, or environmental factors. When the defense system is overloaded, there is an increase in pro-inflammatory mediators and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which results in skin disorders. Among the substances used to treat these inflammatory processes, many natural substances with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties are being studied: nature is yet an abundant source to obtain diverse pharmacological actives. The treatment of skin diseases is usually focused on topical application, as it reduces the risk of systemic side effects and prevents drug degradation by first-pass metabolism. Thus, the properties of drug delivery vehicles can facilitate or inhibit its permeation. Due to the hydrophobic nature of the skin, a promising strategy to improve dermal drug penetration is the use of lipid-based nanoparticles, such as nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). Therefore, in this review, we present NLC as a tool to improve dermal administration of natural substances with anti-inflammatory properties.

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

“…Infectious skin diseases such as bacterial, fungal or viral affect people and cause various dermatological problems. Chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, psoriasis, etc., are a consequence of infiltration of inflammatory T cells [31]. The schematic representation of various skin disorders is shown in Figure 3 [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43].…”

Biocompatibility and Antimicrobial Activity of Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Topical Applications Are Affected by Type of Oils Used in Their Composition

“…Well 11 served as a control with no NLC-NPO added and well 12 as a sterility control. Each well (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11) was then inoculated with S. aureus (5 × 10 3 cells), and the plates were incubated at 37 • C, with constant shaking, for 16 h. OD 600nm was measured every 30 min in a plate reader BioTek Synergy Neo2 (BioTek U.S., Winooski, VT, USA). Each experiment was repeated in triplicate.…”

“…The dermal absorption of nanoparticles assumes direct contact with the nanostructured material, ensuring close contact with the stratum corneum and increasing the amount of drug absorbed by the skin. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) have been shown to improve controlled drug release, lower toxicity, and increase the bioavailability of drugs, such as antibiotics [2][3][4][5][6].…”

“…Apart from the intracellular survival behavior of S. aureus, the lack of efficient penetration of antibiotics across the mammalian cell membrane also leads to difficulty in the treatment [26]. One of the strategies to increase the accumulation of antibiotics in cells is developing antibiotic nanoparticle drug delivery systems [4,5,27]. Additionally, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered one of the greatest threats to human health [28].…”

Formulation of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Loaded with Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) and Characterization in a Murine Model of Airway Hyperresponsiveness

“…SLNs are composed of a solid lipid matrix stabilized by surfactants in which the nature of the drug to be incorporated can be varied [ 26 ]. SLNs possess chemical–physical properties useful to improve the solubility, selectivity, efficacy, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of encapsulated active ingredients loaded in high percentages, favoring a high pulmonary deposition and reducing the amount of drug to be administered [ 27 , 28 ].…”