Topical and cutaneous delivery using nanosystems

The goal of topical and cutaneous delivery is to deliver therapeutic and other substances to a desired target site in the skin at appropriate doses to achieve a safe and efficacious outcome. Normally, however, when the stratum corneumis intact and the skin barrier is uncompromised, this is limited to molecules that are relatively lipophilic, small and uncharged, thereby excluding many potentially useful therapeutic peptides, proteins, vaccines, gene fragments or drug-carrying particles. In this review we will describe how nanosystems are being increasingly exploited for topical and cutaneous delivery, particularly for these previously difficult substances. This is also being driven by the development of novel technologies, which include minimally invasive delivery systems and more precise fabrication techniques. While there is a vast array of nanosystems under development and many undergoing advanced clinical trials, relatively few have achieved full translation to clinical practice. This slow uptake may be due, in part, to the need for a rigorous demonstration of safety in these new nanotechnologies. Some of the safety aspects associated with nanosystems will be considered in this review. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.National Health and Medical Research Council of AustraliaUS FDA grantsUniv Queensland, Translat Res Inst, Sch Med, Therapeut Res Ctr, 37 Kent St, Woolloongabba, Qld 4102, AustraliaUniv South Australia, Sch Pharm & Med Sci, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaCurtin Univ, Curtin Hlth Innovat Res Inst, Sch Pharm, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, AustraliaHelwan Univ, Sch Pharm, Helwan, EgyptUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Ambientais Quim & Farmaceut, Diadema, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Ambientais Quim & Farmaceut, Diadema, SP, BrazilNational Health and Medical Research Council of Australia: APP1049906National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia: 1002611US FDA grants: U01FD005226US FDA grants: U01FD005232Web of Scienc