engleski

Phospholipid vesicles in dermatology: do we need them?

The skin offers several advantages as a route of drug administration although its barrier nature makes it difficult for most drugs to penetrate into and permeate through it. During the last few decades phospholipid vesicles (liposomes) has evoked a considerable attention as a tool for improving skin drug delivery. However, most of the reports on conventional liposomes describe localizing effects whereby vesicles accumulate drugs in the stratum corneum or upper layers of the epidermis. In order to overcome these limitations, novel phospholipid vesicles were developed: deformable liposomes (elastic, flexible liposomes or Transferosomes®) and ethosomes. Although similar to the conventional liposomes in morphology, deformable liposomes function differently. They are able to penetrate intact skin carrying a therapeutic concentration of drugs when applied under non-occluded conditions. Deformable liposomes consist of phospholipids and an edge activator that is responsible for the elasticity of the membrane. An edge activator is usually a single chain surfactant that destabilizes the lipid membrane of the vesicles and increases the deformability of the bilayers. Thus, the vesicles may squeeze through the small pores of the stratum corneum (smaller than the vesicle size), and transport the entrapped drug deeper into the skin. Ethosomes are another novel lipid carrier, showing enhanced skin delivery. The ethosomal system is composed of phospholipid, ethanol and water. Ethosomes were reported to improve skin delivery of various drugs in vitro and in vivo.

Phospholipids; Liposomes; Skin; Dermatology; Drug delivery

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