Abstract
Flavonoids are one of the vital classes of natural polyphenolic compounds abundantly found in plants. Due to their wide range of therapeutic properties, which include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, photoprotective, and depigmentation effects, flavonoids have been demonstrated to be promising agents in the treatment of several skin disorders. However, their lipophilic nature and poor water solubility invariably lead to limited oral bioavailability. In addition, they are rapidly degraded and metabolized in the human body, hindering their potential contribution to the prevention and treatment of many disorders. Thus, to overcome these challenges, several cutaneous delivery systems have been extensively studied. Topical drug delivery besides offering an alternative administration route also ensures a sustained release of the active compound at the desired site of action. Incorporation into lipid or polymer-based nanoparticles appears to be a highly effective approach for cutaneous delivery of flavonoids with good encapsulation potential and reduced toxicity. This review focuses on currently available formulations used to administer either topically or systemically different classes of flavonoids in the skin, highlighting their potential application as therapeutic and preventive agents.
Highlights
In the last few years, flavonoids have been extensively studied for their remarkable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antibacterial properties
Their lipophilic nature and poor aqueous solubility invariably lead to limited oral bioavailability
Oral delivery faces many challenges, and recently, there has been a shift towards the development of new formulations and alternative delivery routes, namely cutaneous administration
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Flavonoids are one of the key classes of bioactive compounds abundantly found in plants and have a general structure of a 15-carbon backbone, consisting of two benzene rings connected by a 3-carbon bridge, which forms a heterocycle They are low-molecular-weight polyphenolic compounds derived from plant metabolites, and the presence of different substitutes creates different subclasses (Figure 1) [3,4,5]. Due to their broad spectrum of biological activity and attractive pharmacological properties, which include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, photoprotective, and antiaging effects, flavonoids have been explored as a therapeutic option towards a great number of diseases, including several skin disorders [6,7]. Current in vitro and in vivo studies of different classes of flavonoids under study for its application on the treatment of skin conditions are highlighted
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