Insights of lyotropic liquid crystals in topical drug delivery for targeting various skin disorders

Lyotropic liquid crystal (LLCs) based drug delivery systems remain in the transitional state of solid and liquid. They are divided into three types: lamellar, cubic, and hexagonal based on the organization. LLCs form compartments on dispersion in the aqueous phase, which can entrap both hydrophilic and lipophilic moieties. The arrangement of lipids, size, and shape can be modified based on water content, lipid concentration, and the additives added to the mixture. The variation in the formulation aspects can be useful to modify the drug release in a controlled manner. The lipids used in LLCs formulation exhibit structural similarities with the skin membrane. These advantages of LLCs formulation favor the efficient delivery of drugs in various skin disorders. The lipophilic nature provides increased permeation, and the bio-adhesive property while the nanosize favors the occlusive nature. The physicochemical properties of LLCs based formulations make it apposite for topical delivery in targeting superficial layers in skin disorders. The review gives insights into LLCs based formulation for the delivery of therapeutics in skin disorders. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.