New Insights in Topical Drug Delivery for Skin Disorders: From a Nanotechnological Perspective

Abstract

Skin, the largest organ in humans, is an efficient route for the delivery of drugs as it circumvents several disadvantages of the oral and parenteral routes. These advantages of skin have fascinated researchers in recent decades. Drug delivery via a topical route includes moving the drug from a topical product to a locally targeted region with dermal circulation throughout the body and deeper tissues. Still, due to the skin's barrier function, delivery through the skin can be difficult. Drug delivery to the skin using conventional formulations with micronized active components, for instance, lotions, gels, ointments, and creams, results in poor penetration. The use of nanoparticulate carriers is one of the promising strategies, as it provides efficient delivery of drugs through the skin and overcomes the disadvantage of traditional formulations. Nanoformulations with smaller particle sizes contribute to improved permeability of therapeutic agents, targeting, stability, and retention, making nanoformulations ideal for drug delivery through a topical route. Achieving sustained release and preserving a localized effect utilizing nanocarriers can result in the effective treatment of numerous infections or skin disorders. This article aims to evaluate and discuss the most recent developments of nanocarriers as therapeutic agent vehicles for skin conditions with patent technology and a market overview that will give future directions for research. As topical drug delivery systems have shown great preclinical results for skin problems, for future research directions, we anticipate including in-depth studies of nanocarrier behavior in various customized treatments to take into account the phenotypic variability of the disease.

Revolutionizing transdermal drug delivery: unveiling the potential of cubosomes and ethosomes

“…An example of early success in this domain is the econazole-loaded antifungal liposomal gel developed in Switzerland in 1994. 22,23 Following the success of liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) emerged as the next-generation delivery systems. Introduced as alternatives to traditional colloidal carriers like emulsions, liposomes, and polymeric micro-and nanoparticles, SLNs gained favor due to their small particle size, adhesive qualities akin to liposomes, and the ability to form films on the skin.…”

Recent Approaches for the Topical Treatment of Psoriasis Using Nanoparticles

“…They can load both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drug molecules, thanks to their internal hydrophobic cavities and external hydrophilic branches. Additionally, they have the potential to improve drug delivery in various therapeutic applications [ 145 ].…”

“…Dendrimers are hyperbranched macromolecules with a three-dimensional structure, as their terminal functional groups may chemically bind to other molecules, altering the surface properties for purposes such as nano-device biomimetics. They have a central core encircled by peripheral groups, while the diameter of dendritic macromolecules is directly proportional to their formation, resulting in a spherical shape [ 145 ]. Dendrimers have become promising delivery carriers for investigating the impact of the polymer size, charge, and composition on biologically significant properties, including interactions with lipid bilayers, internalization, plasma retention time, biodistribution, and filtration [ 150 ].…”

Microencapsulation for Pharmaceutical Applications: A Review

“…Topical API delivery has been using microencapsulation too. − Microencapsulated APIs can be incorporated into creams, gels, or sprays, improving their delivery to the skin and enhancing their efficacy. Microencapsulation can also improve the stability of APIs in topical formulations, leading to longer shelf life and better patient compliance.…”