title: Transdermal drug delivery: from micro to nano.
abstract: Delivery across skin offers many advantages compared to oral or intravenous routes of drug administration. Skin however is highly impermeable to most molecules on the basis of size, hydrophilicity, lipophilicity and charge. For this reason it is often necessary to temporarily alter the barrier properties of skin for effective administration. This can be done by applying chemical enhancers, which alter the lipid structure of the top layer of skin (the stratum corneum, SC), by applying external forces such as electric currents and ultrasounds, by bypassing the stratum corneum via minimally invasive microneedles or by using nano-delivery vehicles that can cross and deliver their payload to the deeper layers of skin. Here we present a critical summary of the latest technologies used to increase transdermal delivery.
authors.affiliation: The Krebs Institute, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, S10 2TN Sheffield, UK. c.pegoraro@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pegoraro
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: MacNeil
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Battaglia
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D002214:Capsules; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D053672:Electrochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D053769:Nanocapsules / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012869:Skin Absorption / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002214:Capsules; D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D053769:Nanocapsules