Novel Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Skin Disorders

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Delivery and Controlled Release".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 2442

Special Issue Editors


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1. Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
2. Formulation and Technology of Drugs Research Center, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: drug formulation; topical drug delivery systems and cosmetics (ointments, lipophilic and hydrophilic creams, hydrogels, oleogels, bigels, nanoparticulate and microparticulate systems); physicochemical, rheological and textural evaluation of topical drug delivery systems and cosmetics
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Department I—Organic Chemistry, Formulation and Technology of Drugs Research Center, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timișoara, Romania
Interests: drug design; drug formulation; topical drug delivery systems
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of dermatology has achieved significant advancements with the advent of novel drug delivery systems that offer more effective treatments for skin disorders. These systems harness nanotechnology, such as nanoparticles, microemulsions, nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), microsponges, nanosponges, vesicular systems (liposomes, ethosomes, and niosomes), and 3D printing technologies, which enhances the penetration and permeation of therapeutic agents through the skin's protective barrier, enabling more targeted and potent treatments.

In summary, these innovative drug delivery systems hold promise for more effective and safe therapies, optimizing the management of skin disorders in dermatology.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome to be submitted.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ioana Viorica Olariu
Dr. Vicenţiu Vlaia
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • drug delivery
  • nanoparticles
  • vesicular systems
  • 3D-printed drugs
  • topical dosage form
  • skin disorder
  • penetration

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 1532 KiB  
Article
Novel Alkyl-Polyglucoside-Based Topical Creams Containing Basil Essential Oil (Ocimum basilicum L. Lamiaceae): Assessment of Physical, Mechanical, and Sensory Characteristics
by Ana Barjaktarević, Georgeta Coneac, Snežana Cupara, Olivera Kostić, Marina Kostić, Ioana Olariu, Vicenţiu Vlaia, Ana-Maria Cotan, Ştefania Neamu and Lavinia Vlaia
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(7), 934; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17070934 - 19 Jul 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Basil essential oil exhibits a wide range of biological activities, including strong antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Considering the health benefits of basil essential oil (BEO) and the favorable properties of alkyl polyglucoside emulsifiers, novel Montanov™-68-based O/W creams containing BEO were developed and [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Basil essential oil exhibits a wide range of biological activities, including strong antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Considering the health benefits of basil essential oil (BEO) and the favorable properties of alkyl polyglucoside emulsifiers, novel Montanov™-68-based O/W creams containing BEO were developed and characterized. Additionally, the influence of the emulsifier content on the cream’s properties was evaluated. Methods: The physicochemical properties were evaluated by organoleptic examination, physical stability test, and pH and electrical conductivity measurement. The mechanical properties were investigated by rheological, textural, and consistency analyses. In addition, a sensory evaluation protocol was applied. Results: The cream formulations containing 5% and 7% Montanov™ 68 demonstrated physical stability, with no evidence of phase separation during the observation period or following accelerated aging. The pH values remained within the acceptable range for topical use, and a gradual decrease in electrical conductivity over time was observed. The rheological analyses confirmed the non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behavior with thixotropic flow characteristics. The textural analyses demonstrated that the higher emulsifier content led to increased firmness, consistency, cohesiveness, and index of viscosity. The sensory analysis revealed differences between the alkyl polyglucoside (APG)-based cream formulations only in terms of the elasticity and stickiness. Conclusions: Although the rheological analyses suggested the better spreadability of the formulation with 5% emulsifier, this was not confirmed by the sensory analysis. However, the APG-based formulations performed significantly better than the synthetic surfactant-based formulation in terms of the absorption, stickiness, and greasiness (during and after application). These results are encouraging for the further evaluation of APG-based creams containing basil essential oil for topical application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Skin Disorders)
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Review

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22 pages, 1489 KiB  
Review
Bioadhesive Nanoparticles in Topical Drug Delivery: Advances, Applications, and Potential for Skin Disorder Treatments
by Rashed M. Almuqbil and Bandar Aldhubiab
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(2), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17020229 - 10 Feb 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1666
Abstract
Skin disorders are the fourth most common cause of all diseases, which affect nearly one-third of the world’s population. Topical drug delivery can be effective in treating a range of skin disorders, including microbial infections, skin cancer, dermatitis, burn injury, wounds, and psoriasis. [...] Read more.
Skin disorders are the fourth most common cause of all diseases, which affect nearly one-third of the world’s population. Topical drug delivery can be effective in treating a range of skin disorders, including microbial infections, skin cancer, dermatitis, burn injury, wounds, and psoriasis. Bioadhesive nanoparticles (BNPs) can serve as an efficient topical drug delivery system as they can serve dual purposes as bioadhesives and nanocarriers, which can mediate targeted drug delivery, prolong retention time, and deepen drug penetration through skin layers. There is an increasing demand for BNP-based applications in medicine because of their various advantages, including biodegradability, flexibility, biocompatibility, and enhanced adhesive strength. A number of BNPs have already been developed and evaluated as potential topical drug delivery systems. In addition, a range of studies have already been carried out to evaluate the potential of BNPs in the treatment of various skin disorders, including atopic dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, skin cancer, psoriasis, microbial infections, wounds, and severe burn injuries. This review article is timely and unique, because it provides an extensive and unique summary of the recent advances of BNPs in the treatment of wide-ranging skin disorders. Moreover, this review also provides a useful discussion on the bioadhesion mechanism and various biopolymers that can be used to prepare BNPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Skin Disorders)
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