Nanoliposome-loaded antifungal drugs for dermal administration: A review

Peyman  Asadi; Ahmad   Mehravaran; Nahid   Soltanloo; Mahdi   Abastabar; Javad  Akhtari

doi:10.18502/cmm.7.1.6247

Peyman Asadi Student Research Committee, Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Ahmad Mehravaran Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Resistant Tuberculosis Institute, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Nahid Soltanloo Student Research Committee, Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Mahdi Abastabar Invasive Fungi Research Center/Department of Medical mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Javad Akhtari Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/cmm.7.1.6247

Keywords: Antifungal, Drug delivery, Liposome, Nanoparticle, Skin

Abstract

Cutaneous fungal infections are the fourth most common health problem, which involves approximately billion people worldwide. Drug delivery to the skin seems to be the best choice for superficial fungal infections. Topical formulations can release a sufficient amount of drug in therapeutical concentrations and permeate higher layers of the skin like the stratum corneum. As the outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum prevents the drug from penetrating the skin. Liposomes, especially nanosized as topical drug delivery systems to the skin, can show various functions depending on their size, lipids and cholesterol components, the percent of ingredients, lamellarity, and surface charge. Nanoliposomes can increase permeation through the stratum corneum, decrease systemic effects with their localizing actions, and overcome many dermal drug delivery obstacles. Antifungal drugs, such as croconazole, econazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole, terbinafine hydrochloride, tolnaftate, and miconazole entrapped in liposomes have indicated improved skin penetration and localizing effects. According to the literature review summarized in this paper, many studies have identified liposomes as a powerful carrier for topical antifungal drug delivery to the skin. However, a few studies introduced new generations of liposomes like ethosomes and transfersomes. This paper was conducted on almost all liposomal studies of antifungal drugs with dermal application.