Title:Nanocarriers as Prospective Approach in Effective Management of Acne Vulgaris
Volume: 13
Issue: 3
Author(s): Tanya Lugani, Manju Nagpal*, Deepinder Singh Malik, Ameya Sharma, Vivek Puri and Gitika Arora Dhingra
Affiliation:
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab,India
Keywords:
Acne vulgaris, liposomes, propionibacterium acnes, topical, systemic, hormones.
Abstract: Acne is a chronic disease associated with the pilosebaceous unit and is affected by Propionibacterium
acnes bacteria. Approximately 95% of people worldwide suffer from acne in their life span
with a higher prevalence among teenagers (esp. boys). Conventional strategies incorporating antibiotics,
steroids, hormones, etc. are recommended orally, systemically, or topically, employed for the treatment
of acne but with various side effects (itching, scaling, redness, etc.) and are no more commercially accepted.
The literature has been collected using various search engines google scholar, PubMed, science
direct, etc. The review highlights the history of acne, its pathophysiology, developmental factors, various
treatment evolutions strategies ranging from conventional to novel approach eradicating the secondary
effects with enhanced efficacy and safety profile. We discussed various nanotechnological carriers
(liposomes, niosomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, microsponges and other
nanoscale formulations), which are formulated in the last decade for the effective treatment of acne. Patent
literature and marketed formulations are included in the last sections. The encapsulation efficiency
of anti-acne drugs in different nanocarriers improves the efficacy as well as minimizes the side effects
of the drug. These carriers showed better bioavailability as well as better penetration effects even to the
pilosebaceous unit of the skin. Tolerance can be improved by increasing the concentration of anti-acne
drugs in the nano-carrier formulation. Conventional treatment strategies for acne had some limitations
like scaling, itching, and inflammation which can be overcome by nano-formulations, which exhibit better
efficacy. At present, various nano-technological carriers are being used potentially for the treatment
of acne. These nano-formulations are also associated with some limitations like drug entrapment, stability
issues, but these will be overcome in the upcoming years as long as the research is being continued
in this area.