Transdermal drug delivery has not yet reached its full potential as medical practice in order to successfully replace the classical routes for systemic drug delivery like oral ingestion or hypodermic injections. However, significant and promising progress has been registered in the past decades. Novel medical devices which are acting at nanometer level to ensure suitable drug delivery in compliance with the latest medical regulations appear on the medical market and transdermal drug delivery (TDD) systems make no exception. The present work reviews some of the most important achievements in the field of nano-designed materials with application in transdermal drug delivery. First, the specific problems encountered in drug transportation across skin barrier are shortly addressed. Particulate systems used for TDD like liposomes or polymeric nanoparticles receive a special attention. The involvement of polymer enhancers and cyclodextrins in TDD is also reviewed.
Keywords: Transdermal, percutaneous absorption, skin layer, stratum corneum, epidermis, dermis, penetration enhancer, chemical enhancer, polymer matrices, nanocapsules, nanoparticles, liposomes, niosomes, transferosomes, ethosomes, micelle, surfactant, cyclodextrin, biochemical enhancer, polymeric enhancer.
