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

Skin, the largest organ in humans, is an efficient routefor thedelivery of drugs as it circumvents several disadvantages of the oraland parenteral routes. These advantages of skin have fascinated researchersin recent decades. Drug delivery via a topical route includes movingthe drug from a topical product to a locally targeted region withdermal circulation throughout the body and deeper tissues. Still,due to the skin's barrier function, delivery through the skincan be difficult. Drug delivery to the skin using conventional formulationswith micronized active components, for instance, lotions, gels, ointments,and creams, results in poor penetration. The use of nanoparticulatecarriers is one of the promising strategies, as it provides efficientdelivery of drugs through the skin and overcomes the disadvantageof traditional formulations. Nanoformulations with smaller particlesizes contribute to improved permeability of therapeutic agents, targeting,stability, and retention, making nanoformulations ideal for drug deliverythrough a topical route. Achieving sustained release and preservinga localized effect utilizing nanocarriers can result in the effectivetreatment of numerous infections or skin disorders. This article aimsto evaluate and discuss the most recent developments of nanocarriersas therapeutic agent vehicles for skin conditions with patent technologyand a market overview that will give future directions for research.As topical drug delivery systems have shown great preclinical resultsfor skin problems, for future research directions, we anticipate includingin-depth studies of nanocarrier behavior in various customized treatmentsto take into account the phenotypic variability of the disease.

Automated summary

Skin, as the largest organ, has advantages as a drug delivery route but the skin barrier function makes it difficult. Nanoparticulate carriers provide efficient drug delivery and overcome the disadvantages of traditional formulations. Nanoformulations with smaller particle sizes are ideal for achieving sustained release and preserving a localized effect.