Ethosomes as Nanocarriers for the Development of Skin Delivery Formulations.

The use of nanotechnology has been extensively explored for developing efficient drug delivery systems towards topical and transdermal applications. Ethosomes constitute a vesicular nanocarrier containing a relatively high concentration of ethanol (20-45%). Ethanol is a well-known permeation enhancer, which confers ethosomes unique features, including high elasticity and deformability, allowing them to penetrate deeply across the skin and enhance drug permeation and deposition. The improved composition of ethosomes offer, thereby, significant advantages in the delivery of therapeutic agents over particularly the conventional liposomes regarding different pathologies, including acne, psoriasis, alopecia, skin infections, hormonal deficiencies, among others. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the ethosomal system and an assessment of its potential as an efficient nanocarrier towards the skin delivery of active ingredients. Special attention is given to the composition of ethosomes and the mechanism of skin permeation, as well as their potential applications in different pathologies, particularly skin pathologies (acne, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, skin cancer and skin infections). Some examples of ethosome-based formulations for the management of skin disorders are also highlighted. Besides the need for further studies, particularly in humans, ethosomal-based formulations hold great promise in the skin delivery of active ingredients, which increasingly asserts oneself as a viable alternative to the oral route.

Liposome-based diagnostic and therapeutic applications for pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the harshest and most challenging cancers to treat, often labeled as incurable. Chemotherapy continues to be the most popular treatment yet yields a very poor prognosis. The main barriers such as inefficient drug penetration and drug resistance, have led to the development of drug carrier systems. The benefits, ease of fabrication and modification of liposomes render them as ideal future drug delivery systems. This review delves into the versatility of liposomes to achieve various mechanisms of treatment for pancreatic cancer. Not only are there benefits of loading chemotherapy drugs and targeting agents onto liposomes, as well as mRNA combined therapy, but liposomes have also been exploited for immunotherapy and can be programmed to respond to photothermal therapy. Multifunctional liposomal formulations have demonstrated significant pre-clinical success. Functionalising drug-encapsulated liposomes has resulted in triggered drug release, specific targeting, and remodeling of the tumor environment. Suppressing tumor progression has been achieved, due to their ability to more efficiently and precisely deliver chemotherapy. Currently, no multifunctional surface-modified liposomes are clinically approved for pancreatic cancer thus we aim to shed light on the trials and tribulations and progress so far, with the hope for liposomal therapy in the future and improved patient outcomes. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Considering that conventional treatments for pancreatic cancer are highly associated with sub-optimal performance and systemic toxicity, the development of novel therapeutic strategies holds outmost relevance for pancreatic cancer management. Liposomes are being increasingly considered as promising nanocarriers for providing not only an early diagnosis but also effective, highly specific, and safer treatment, improving overall patient outcome. This manuscript is the first in the last 10 years that revises the advances in the application of liposome-based formulations in bioimaging, chemotherapy, phototherapy, immunotherapy, combination therapies, and emergent therapies for pancreatic cancer management. Prospective insights are provided regarding several advantages resulting from the use of liposome technology in precision strategies, fostering new ideas for next-generation diagnosis and targeted therapies of pancreatic cancer.

Nanocarrier-based dermopharmaceutical formulations for the topical management of atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic disease that affects the skin, and that is characterized by highly itchy inflammation, frequent eczematous lesions, and a fluctuating course. The current treatment consists of a multi-stage approach that aims to establish persistent disease control towards the improvement of the quality of life of the patients. Topical therapy is the basis of AD treatment, however, due to the difficulty of crossing the skin barrier, topical application of drugs remains a challenge. In fact, in addition to the low skin bioavailability, and limited accessibility to deeper skin of the drugs - due to difficulty in penetrating the epidermis - implemented drugs in the clinical are associated with serious adverse effects, which are responsible for safety and efficacy limitations, leading to a reduction in patients' compliance. Nanotechnology arises as an emerging approach for the treatment of AD, allowing for controlled release, targeted delivery, improved penetration, and bioavailability of drugs assets, resulting in marked improved therapeutic efficacy and reduction of adverse effects. Although its promising outputs, additional studies are needed to recognize the toxicological characteristics, cost-benefit, and long-term safety of nanocarriers applied to this end. Advanced drug delivery systems, particularly nanoemulsions, liposomes, ethosomes, transfersomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, nanocrystals, polymeric nanoparticles, and polymeric micelles have been used, and are thoroughly addressed in this review as promising nanoformulations towards the topical treatment of AD.