Abstract
Topical therapy is desirable in treatment of nail diseases like onychomycosis (fungal infection of nail) and psoriasis. The topical treatment avoids the adverse effects associated with systemic therapy, thereby enhancing the patient compliance and reducing the treatment cost. However the effectiveness of the topical therapies has been limited due to the poor permeability of the nail plate to topically applied therapeutic agents. Research over the past one decade has been focused on improving the transungual permeability by means of chemical treatment, penetration enhancers, mechanical and physical methods. The present review is an attempt to discuss the different physical and chemical methods employed to increase the permeability of the nail plate. Minimally invasive electrically mediated techniques such as iontophoresis have gained success in facilitating the transungual delivery of actives. In addition drug transport across the nail plate has been improved by filing the dorsal surface of the nail plate prior to application of topical formulation. But attempts to improve the trans-nail permeation using transdermal chemical enhancers have failed so far. Attempts are on to search suitable physical enhancement techniques and chemical transungual enhancers in view to maximize the drug delivery across the nail plate.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
