title: Dermatokinetics as an Important Tool to Assess the Bioavailability of Drugs by Topical Nanocarriers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Now-a-days, numerous nanocarrier-based drug products for topical applications are present in the market and number of similar products are being researched. To estimate the amount of drug delivery to skin, the scientists have now established techniques for separation of skin layers for the determination of drug concentrations. This forms the basis of pharmacokinetics of drug(s) in skin, i.e., dermatokinetics. However, dermatokinetic modeling of topical products is still a colossal challenge. Assessment of bioavailability helps in determination of safety and efficacy of topical formulations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article is an attempt to explore the usefulness and methodologies of dermatokinetics for nanocarriermediated topical delivery. It also showcases challenges in methodologies used for determination of dermatokinetic parameters along with advantages.
  
  
  METHODS
  All the articles (research and review) used for writing the manuscript were collected from various search engines like Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed and Eureka Select using keywords like dermatokinetics, novel drug delivery systems, bioequivalence, bioavailability and topical delivery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As the methods used for determination of pharmacokinetics of oral and intravenous formulations are not useful for dermatokinetic assessment, various methods like tape stripping, microdialysis and vasoconstrictor assays are being used for dermatokinetic assessment. These methods are not only useful to determine the drug concentrations in skin layers, but can also be used to correlate the toxic effects of xenobiotics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandarsindri, Rajasthan- 305817. India.
authors.forename: Nagarani
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thotakura
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandarsindri, Rajasthan- 305817. India.
authors.forename: Pramod
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmaceutics, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences-UGC Center of Advanced Study, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014. India.
authors.forename: Sheetu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wadhwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, School of Chemical Sciences & Pharmacy, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandar Sindri, Distt. Ajmer, Rajasthan. India.
authors.forename: Kaisar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raza
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmaceutics, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences-UGC Center of Advanced Study, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014. India.
authors.forename: Prakash
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Katare
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012869:Skin Absorption
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
keywords: Pharmacokinetics; confocal microscopy; follicular drug penetration; micro dialysis; tape stripping; trypsin
  digestion; vasoconstrictor assay