Chapter 11 - Lipid nanocarriers as skin drug delivery systems

Abstract

The skin offers several advantages for the delivery of drugs over conventional routes. Nevertheless, percutaneous drug delivery, particularly of hydrophilic compounds and macromolecules, has remained a major technological challenge due to the barrier imposed by the stratum corneum, which limits the delivery of most therapeutic payloads. Different attempts to favor the skin permeation of drugs, including chemical and physical penetration enhancers, as well as the use of nanocarriers, have been intensively investigated. Although nanocarriers have primarily focused on oral and parenteral administration, at present, they are in the center of attention as skin delivery systems. The aim of this chapter is to provide a general overview of the different lipid nanocarriers proposed for the delivery of active compounds into and through the skin, providing a compilation of the studies performed in recent years.