International Journal of Nanomedicine (Oct 2020)
Development, Characterization and Use of Liposomes as Amphipathic Transporters of Bioactive Compounds for Melanoma Treatment and Reduction of Skin Inflammation: A Review
Abstract
Erick Damian Castañeda-Reyes,1,2 Maria de Jesús Perea-Flores,3 Gloria Davila-Ortiz,1 Youngsoo Lee,2 Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia2 1Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Unidad Profesional Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Ciudad De México, 07738, México; 2Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA; 3Centro de Nanociencias y Micro y Nanotecnologías, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Ciudad De México 07738, MéxicoCorrespondence: Elvira Gonzalez de MejiaDepartment of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 228 ERML, 1201 West Gregory Dr, Urbana, IL 61801, USATel +1 217 244-3196Email [email protected]: The skin is the largest organ in the human body, providing a barrier to the external environment. It is composed of three layers: epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. The most external epidermis is exposed to stress factors that may lead to skin conditions such as photo-aging and skin cancer. Some treatments for skin disease utilize the incorporation of drugs or bioactive compounds into nanocarriers known as liposomes. Liposomes are membranes whose sizes range from nano to micrometers and are composed mostly of phospholipids and cholesterol, forming similar structures to cell membranes. Thus, skin treatments with liposomes have lower toxicity in comparison to traditional treatment routes such as parenteral and oral. Furthermore, addition of edge activators to the liposomes decreases the rigidity of the bilayer structure making it deformable, thereby improving skin permeability. Liposomes are composed of an aqueous core and a lipidic bilayer, which confers their amphiphilic property. Thus, they can carry hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds, even simultaneously. Current applications of these nanocarriers are mainly in the cosmetic and pharmaceutic industries. Nevertheless, new research has revealed promising results regarding the effectiveness of liposomes for transporting bioactive compounds through the skin. Liposomes have been well studied; however, additional research is needed on the efficacy of liposomes loaded with bioactive peptides for skin delivery. The objective of this review is to provide an up-to-date description of existing techniques for the development of liposomes and their use as transporters of bioactive compounds in skin conditions such as melanoma and skin inflammation. Furthermore, to gain an understanding of the behavior of liposomes during the process of skin delivery of bioactive compounds into skin cells.Keywords: edge activators, encapsulation, inflammation, melanoma, nanotransporters, skin delivery, ultadeformable liposomes
