Chapter 21 - Nanostructures in transdermal drug delivery systems

Abstract

Nanotechnology advances in the recent era have affected all domains of basic and applied research. The possibility of high payloads in a minimum size/volume has attracted the interest of scientists working in formulation development for drug delivery to various purposes. The advent of nanostructures with multiple advantages has enhanced researchers’ attention for nanotechnology applications in transdermal drug delivery. During the past decade, extensive research in the domain has increased the need for an overview of all the developments, which is presented in this chapter. Starting from mentioning the benefits of transdermal drug delivery over other delivery systems, this chapter describes the barriers in the skin to be faced by nanomaterials and their permeation pathways. Then physicochemical characteristics required for the nanostructures for good penetration are discussed. Further, types of nanostructures to be used in transdermal drug delivery, particularly liposomes, niosomes, ethosomes, dendrimers, and transferosomes, are elaborated, along with their various effects on the biochemical processes in skin. The chapter also highlights the recent advances in the domain, mentioning nanotechnology-based marketed formulations for transdermal delivery.