International Journal of Nanomedicine (Nov 2020)
The Challenge of Nanovesicles for Selective Topical Delivery for Acne Treatment: Enhancing Absorption Whilst Avoiding Toxicity
Abstract
Antonia Mancuso,1 Maria Chiara Cristiano,2 Massimo Fresta,1 Donatella Paolino2 1Department of Health Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Catanzaro 88100, Italy; 2Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Catanzaro 88100, ItalyCorrespondence: Donatella PaolinoUniversity “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, Catanzaro 88100, ItalyTel +39 09613694211Email [email protected]: Acne is a common skin disease that affect over 80% of adolescents. It is characterized by inflammation of the hair bulb and the attached sebaceous gland. To date, many strategies have been used to treat acne as a function of the disease severity. However, common treatments for acne seem to show several side effects, from local irritation to more serious collateral effects. The use of topical vesicular carriers able to deliver active compounds is currently considered as an excellent approach in the treatment of different skin diseases. Many results in the literature have proven that drug delivery systems are useful in overcoming the toxicity induced by common drug therapies, while maintaining their therapeutic efficacy. Starting from these assumptions, the authors reviewed drug delivery systems already realized for the topical treatment of acne, with a focus on their limitations and advantages over conventional treatment strategies. Although their exact mechanism of permeation is not often completely clear, deformable vesicles seem to be the best solution for obtaining a specific delivery of drugs into the deeper skin layers, with consequent increased local action and minimized collateral effects.Keywords: targeted therapy, skin, anti-acne drugs, nanocarriers, drug delivery systems
