Progress in Lipid and Inorganic Nanocarriers for Enhanced Skin Drug Delivery

New advancements in nanocarrier technologies are revolutionizing the delivery of drugs through the skin, allowing for precise treatment with better absorption, stability, and bioavailability. This review investigates lipid and inorganic nanocarriers like liposomes, ethosomes, and inorganic nanoparticles and assesses their potential for delivering drugs through the skin. It emphasizes the mechanisms that enable controlled release and deeper skin penetration, which are crucial for ensuring effectiveness in clinical applications. The review synthesizes existing research, acknowledging that only few nanocarriers are successfully deployed in clinical settings. By offering a comprehensive overview, it sheds light on the progress and future obstacles to using nanocarriers for drug delivery through the skin. Nanocarriers for topical and transdermal drug delivery consist of two primary types: lipid and inorganic. The most used are lipid nanocarriers, owing to their biocompatibility and ability to encapsulate a wide range of drugs. Despite the large number of nanocarriers being investigated, only a few have been clinically approved.image (c) 2024 WILEY-VCH GmbH