Recent approaches in topical acne treatment and drug delivery

Aysu Günaydın; İmren Esentürk Güzel; Evren Algın Yapar; Aysu Yurdasiper

Recent approaches in topical acne treatment and drug delivery

Abstract

Acne vulgaris is a widespread chronic disease of the hair follicles associated with the sebaceous glands. Disease factors include occlusion of follicles, hyperkeratinizations, keratin plug formation, enlargement of the sebum gland and increased sebum production. The selection of drugs to be applied in acne treatment is made according to criteria such as the degree of acne lesions, the preferred route of administration, and the patient's medical condition. With its large surface area, the skin is a high potential route for drug release, so topical agents have a wide range of uses. However, these agents often have disadvantages such as dry skin, peeling and skin irritation or bacterial resistance. In order to minimize these disadvantages, new drug delivery systems have been developed. Drug delivery systems are biocompatible systems that enable the transport of molecules for pharmaceutical applications. These systems are usually designed at nanometric and micrometric levels for purposes such as increasing site specificity and penetration. Topical drug delivery systems are preferred due to eliminating the need for systemic drug treatments, minimizing the total dose required to reach the targeted layers in the skin, and reducing side effects. Nanotechnological approaches such as particulate, vesicular, colloidal drug delivery systems and various other systems have an important place in the treatment of acne. These approaches offer significant opportunities for designing novel, low-dose and effective treatment systems to control acne. In this review, recent approaches to topical acne treatments and drug delivery have been overviewed.

Keywords

References

[1] Nguyen R, Su J. Treatment of acne vulgaris. Paediatr Child Health (Oxford). 2011;21(3):119–25. [CrossRef]
[2] Patel R, Prabhu P. Nanocarriers as versatile delivery systems for effective management of acne. Int J Pharm. 2020;579:119140. [CrossRef]
[3] Castro GA, Oliveira CA, Mahecha GAB, Ferreira LAM. Comedolytic effect and reduced skin irritation of a new formulation of all-trans retinoic acid-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles for topical treatment of acne. Arch Dermatol Res. 2011;303(7):513–20. [CrossRef]
[4] Vogt A, Wischke C, Neffe AT, Ma N, Alexiev U, Lendlein A. Nanocarriers for drug delivery into and through the skin—do existing technologies match clinical challenges? J Control Release. 2016;242:3–15. [CrossRef]
[5] Brown MB, Martin GP, Jones SA, Akomeah FK. Dermal and transdermal drug delivery systems: current and future prospects. Drug Deliv [Internet]. 2006;13(3):175–87. [CrossRef]
[6] Bauerová K, Matušová D, Kassai Z. Chemical enhancers for transdermal drug transport. Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet. 2001;26:85–94. [CrossRef]
[7] Faheem AM, Abdelkader DH. Novel drug delivery systems. In: Engineering Drug Delivery Systems. Elsevier; 2020. p. 1–16. [CrossRef]
[8] Amer SS, Nasr M, Mamdouh W, Sammour O. Insights on the use of nanocarriers for acne alleviation. Curr Drug Deliv. 2019;16(1):18–25. [CrossRef]

[9] Finbloom JA, Sousa F, Stevens MM, Desai TA. Engineering the drug carrier biointerface to overcome biological barriers to drug delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2020;167:89–108. [CrossRef]
[10] Czajkowska-Kośnik A, Szekalska M, Winnicka K. Nanostructured lipid carriers: A potential use for skin drug delivery systems. Pharmacological Reports. 2019;71:156–66. [CrossRef]
[11] Sorg O, Kuenzli S, Saurat JH. Side Effects and Pitfalls in Retinoid Therapy. In: Retinoids and Carotenoids in Dermatology. 2007;225–248. DOI:10.3109/9781420021189.013.
[12] Philpott Jr JA. Diagnosis and treatment of acne. Postgrad Med. 1955;17(2):205–9. [CrossRef]
[13] Otlewska A, Baran W, Batycka-Baran A. Adverse events related to topical drug treatments for acne vulgaris. Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2020;19(4):513–21. [CrossRef]
[14] Kainz JT, Berghammer G, Auer-Grumbach P, Lackner V, Perl‐Convalexius S, Popa R, et al. Azelaic acid 20% cream: effects on quality of life and disease severity in adult female acne patients. JDDG J der Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2016;14(12):1249–59. [CrossRef]
[15] Kolli SS, Pecone D, Pona A, Cline A, Feldman SR. Topical retinoids in acne vulgaris: a systematic review. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2019;20(3):345–65. [CrossRef]
[16] Nickles MA, Lake E. Topical dapsone in the treatment of acne: a systematic review. Int J Dermatol. 2022;7. doi:10.1111/ijd.16074.17. [CrossRef]
[17] Vyas A, Kumar Sonker A, Gidwani B. Carrier-Based Drug Delivery System for Treatment of Acne. The Scientific World Journal. 2014;1–14. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/27626018. [CrossRef]
[18] Jain AK, Jain A, Garg NK, Agarwal A, Jain A, Jain SA, Tyagi RK, Jain RK, Agrawal H, Agrawal GP. Adapalene loaded solid lipid nanoparticles gel: an effective approach for acne treatment. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2014;1(1):21:222–229. [CrossRef]
[19] Hassan AO, Elshafeey AH. Nanosized particulate systems for dermal and transdermal delivery. J Biomed Nanotechnol. 2010;6(6):621–33. [CrossRef]
[20] Garg T. Current nanotechnological approaches for an effective delivery of bio-active drug molecules in the treatment of acne. Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol. 2016;44(1):98–105. [CrossRef]
[21] Bandopadhyay S, Manchanda S, Chandra A, Ali J, Deb PK. Overview of different carrier systems for advanced drug delivery. In: Drug Delivery Systems. Elsevier; 2020. p. 179–233. [CrossRef]
[22] Mudshinge SR, Deore AB, Patil S, Bhalgat CM. Nanoparticles: emerging carriers for drug delivery. Saudi Pharm J. 2011;19(3):129–41. [CrossRef]
[23] Castro GA, Ferreira LAM. Novel vesicular and particulate drug delivery systems for topical treatment of acne. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2008;5(6):665–79. [CrossRef]
[24] Date AA, Naik B, Nagarsenker MS. Novel drug delivery systems: potential in improving topical delivery of antiacne agents. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2006;19(1):2–16. [CrossRef]
[25] Patel MR, Patel RB, Parikh JR, Patel BG. Improving the Isotretinoin Photostability by Incorporating in Microemulsion Matrix. ISRN Pharm. 2011:838016. [CrossRef]
[26] Gupta S, Wairkar S, Bhatt LK. Isotretinoin and α-tocopherol acetate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticle topical gel for the treatment of acne. J Microencapsul. 2020;37(8):557–65. [CrossRef]
[27] Layegh P, Mosallaei N, Bagheri D, Jaafari MR, Golmohammadzadeh S. The efficacy of isotretinoin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles in comparison to Isotrex® on acne treatment. Nanomedicine J. 2013;1(1):38–47. [CrossRef]
[28] Silva EL, Carneiro G, De Araújo LA, de Jesus M, Trindade V, Yoshida MI, et al. Solid lipid nanoparticles loaded with retinoic acid and lauric acid as an alternative for topical treatment of acne vulgaris. J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2015;15(1):792–9. [CrossRef]
[29] Ghate VM, Lewis SA, Prabhu P, Dubey A, Patel N. Nanostructured lipid carriers for the topical delivery of tretinoin. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2016;108:253–61. [CrossRef]
[30] Tamjidi F, Shahedi M, Varshosaz J, Nasirpour A. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC): A potential delivery system for bioactive food molecules. Innov Food Sci Emerg Technol. 2013;19:29–43. [CrossRef]
[31] Patwekar SL, Pedewad SR, Gattani S. Development and evaluation of nanostructured lipid carriers-based gel of isotretinoin. Part Sci Technol. 2018;36(7):832–43. [CrossRef]
[32] Elmowafy M, Shalaby K, Ali HM, Alruwaili NK, Salama A, Ibrahim MF, et al. Impact of nanostructured lipid carriers on dapsone delivery to the skin: in vitro and in vivo studies. Int J Pharm. 2019;572:118781. [CrossRef]
[33] Lopes SC, Silva RA, Novais MV, Coelho LD, Ferreira LA, Souza PE, et al. Topical photodynamic therapy with chloroaluminum phthalocyanine liposomes is as effective as systemic pentavalent antimony in the treatment of experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2019;28:210–5. [CrossRef]
[34] Shilakari G, Singh D, Asthana A. Novel vesicular carriers for topical drug delivery and their application’s. Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res. 2013;21(1):77–86.
[35] Honzak L, Šentjurc M. Development of liposome encapsulated clindamycin for treatment of acne vulgaris. Pflügers Arch J Physiol. 2000;440(1):R044–5. [CrossRef]
[36] Rahman SA, Abdelmalak NS, Badawi A, Elbayoumy T, Sabry N, El Ramly A. Tretinoin-loaded liposomal formulations: from lab to comparative clinical study in acne patients. Drug Deliv. 2016;23(4):1184–93. [CrossRef]
[37] Patel VB, Misra A, Marfatia YS. Topical liposomal gel of tretinoin for the treatment of acne: research and clinical implications. Pharm Dev Technol. 2000;5(4):455–64. [CrossRef]
[38] Ingebrigtsen SG, Škalko-Basnet N, Jacobsen C de AC, Holsæter AM. Successful co-encapsulation of benzoyl peroxide and chloramphenicol in liposomes by a novel manufacturing method-dual asymmetric centrifugation. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2017;97:192–9. [CrossRef]
[39] Madan S, Nehate C, Barman TK, Rathore AS, Koul V. Design, preparation, and evaluation of liposomal gel formulations for treatment of acne: in vitro and in vivo studies. Drug Dev Ind Pharm. 2019;45(3):395–404. [CrossRef]
[40] Arora S, Lamba HS, Tiwari R. Dermal delivery of drugs using different vesicular carriers: a comparative review. Asian J Pharm. 2012;6(4). [CrossRef]
[41] Touitou E, Godin B, Shumilov M, Bishouty N, Ainbinder D, Shouval R, Ingber A, Leibovici V. Efficacy and tolerability of clindamycin phosphate and salicylic acid gel in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2008;22:629–631.
[42] Venugopal V. Formulation development and characterization of tea tree oil loaded ethosomes. Indones J Pharm. 2016;27(1):44.
[43] Apriani EF, Rosana Y, Iskandarsyah I. Formulation, characterization, and in vitro testing of azelaic acid ethosome-based cream against Propionibacterium acnes for the treatment of acne. J Adv Pharm Technol Res. 2019;10(2):75. [CrossRef]
[44] Hsieh W-C, Fang C-W, Suhail M, Vu QL, Chuang C-H, Wu P-C. Improved skin permeability and whitening effect of catechin-loaded transfersomes through topical delivery. Int J Pharm. 2021;607:121030. [CrossRef]
[45] Vasanth S, Dubey A, GS R, Lewis SA, Ghate VM, El-Zahaby SA, et al. Development and investigation of vitamin C-enriched adapalene-loaded transfersome gel: a collegial approach for the treatment of acne vulgaris. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2020;21(2):1–17. [CrossRef]
[46] Patel R, Patel K, Modi K, Pathak C. Novel Anti-Acne Drug Delivery System of Tretinoin. Int Res J Pharm. 2011;1:65–71.
[47] Rahman SA, Abdelmalak NS, Badawi A, Elbayoumy T, Sabry N, El Ramly A. Formulation of tretinoin-loaded topical proniosomes for treatment of acne: in-vitro characterization, skin irritation test and comparative clinical study. Drug Deliv. 2015;22(6):731–739. [CrossRef]
[48] Budhiraja A, Dhingra G. Development and characterization of a novel antiacne niosomal gel of rosmarinic acid. Drug Deliv. 2015;22(6):723–30. [CrossRef]
[49] Hatem AS, Fatma MM, Amal KH, Hossam MA-W, Maha HR, Fatma MM. Dapsone in topical niosomes for treatment of acne vulgaris. Afr J Pharm Pharmacol. 2018;12(18):221–30. [CrossRef]
[50] Alam A, Mustafa G, Agrawal GP, Hashmi S, Khan RA, Aba Alkhayl FF, Ullah Z, Ali MS, Elkirdasy AF, Khan S. A microemulsion-based gel of isotretinoin and erythromycin estolate for the management of acne. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol. 2022;71:103277. [CrossRef]
[51] Patel MR, Patel RB, Parikh JR, Patel BG. Novel microemulsion-based gel formulation of tazarotene for therapy of acne. Pharm Dev Technol. 2016;21(8):921–932. [CrossRef]
[52] Miastkowska M, Sikora E, Ogonowski J, Zielina M, Łudzik A. The kinetic study of isotretinoin release from nanoemulsion. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp. 2016;510:63–8. [CrossRef]
[53] Sabouri M, Samadi A, Nasrollahi SA, Farboud ES, Mirrahimi B, Hassanzadeh H, et al. Tretinoin loaded nanoemulsion for acne vulgaris: fabrication, physicochemical and clinical efficacy assessments. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2018;31(6):316–23. [CrossRef]
[54] Pajić NB, Ilić T, Nikolić I, Dobričić V, Pantelić I, Savić S. Alkyl polyglucoside-based adapalene-loaded microemulsions for targeted dermal delivery: Structure, stability and comparative biopharmaceutical characterization with a conventional dosage form. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol. 2019;54:101245. [CrossRef]
[55] Bhatia G, Zhou Y, Banga AK. Adapalene microemulsion for transfollicular drug delivery. J Pharm Sci. 2013;102(8):2622–2631. doi:10.1002/jps.23627. [CrossRef]
[56] Shahriar SM, Mondal J, Hasan MN, Revuri V, Lee DY, Lee Y-K. Electrospinning nanofibers for therapeutics delivery. Nanomaterials. 2019;9(4):532. [CrossRef]
[57] Karakucuk A, Tort S. Preparation, characterization and antimicrobial activity evaluation of electrospun PCL nanofiber composites of resveratrol nanocrystals. Pharm Dev Technol. 2020;25(10):1216–25. [CrossRef]
[58] Khoshbakht S, Asghari-Sana F, Fathi-Azarbayjani A, Sharifi Y. Fabrication and characterization of tretinoin-loaded nanofiber for topical skin delivery. Biomater Res. 2020;24(1):1–7. [CrossRef]
[59] Ghasemiyeh P, Mohammadi-Samani S. Potential of nanoparticles as permeation enhancers and targeted delivery options for skin: Advantages and disadvantages. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2020;14:3271. [CrossRef]
[60] Sungkharak S, Supasit N, Choopan S, Ungphaiboon S. Antibacterial activity against acne involved bacteria of chitosan in a soluble state and as nanoparticles. Chiang Mai J Sci. 2016;43(5):1149–58.
[61] Friedman AJ, Phan J, Schairer DO, Champer J, Qin M, Pirouz A, et al. Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity of chitosan–alginate nanoparticles: a targeted therapy for cutaneous pathogens. J Invest Dermatol. 2013;133(5):1231–9. [CrossRef]
[62] Tolentino S, Pereira MN, Cunha-Filho M, Gratieri T, Gelfuso GM. Targeted clindamycin delivery to pilosebaceous units by chitosan or hyaluronic acid nanoparticles for improved topical treatment of acne vulgaris. Carbohydr Polym. 2021;253:117295. [CrossRef]
[63] Gomes A, Ascensão L, Rijo P, Baptista M, Candeias S, Martinho N, et al. Evaluation of a new topical treatment for acne with azelaic acid-loaded nanoparticles. Microsc Microanal. 2013;19(S4):59–60. [CrossRef]
[64] Jelvehgari M, Siahi-Shadbad MR, Azarmi S, Martin GP, Nokhodchi A. The microsponge delivery system of benzoyl peroxide: Preparation, characterization and release studies. Int J Pharm. 2006;308(1–2):124–32. [CrossRef]
[65] Dimitrovska I, Olumceva T, Markova E, et al. Topical gel with ethyl cellulose based microsponges loaded with clindamycin hydrochloride for acne treatment. Cellulose. 2020;27:7109–7126. [CrossRef]
[66] Torok HM, Pillai R. Safety and efficacy of micronized tretinoin gel (0.05%) in treating adolescent acne. J Drugs Dermatol (JDD). 2011;10(6):647–52.
[67] Jorizzo J, Grossman R, Nighland M. Tretinoin microsphere gel in younger acne patients. J Drugs Dermatol (JDD). 2008;7(8 Suppl):s9–13.
[68] Ramezanli T, Zhang Z, Michniak-Kohn BB. Development and characterization of polymeric nanoparticle-based formulation of adapalene for topical acne therapy. Nanomedicine Nanotechnology, Biol Med. 2017;13(1):143–52. [CrossRef]
[69] Aggarwal G, Nagpal M, Kaur G. Development and comparison of nanosponge and niosome based gel for the topical delivery of tazarotene. Pharm Nanotechnol. 2016;4(3):213–28. [CrossRef]
[70] Kaity S, Maiti S, Ghosh AK, Pal D, Ghosh A, Banerjee S. Microsponges: A novel strategy for drug delivery system. J Adv Pharm Technol Res. 2010;1(3):283. [CrossRef]

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Pharmaceutical Delivery Technologies

Journal Section

Review

Authors

Aysu Günaydın
Türkiye

İmren Esentürk Güzel ^*
Türkiye

Evren Algın Yapar ^*
Türkiye

Aysu Yurdasiper
Türkiye

Publication Date

June 28, 2025

Submission Date

August 19, 2022

Acceptance Date

September 19, 2022

Published in Issue

Year 2022 Volume: 26 Number: 6

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA87HF75NE

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Günaydın, A., Esentürk Güzel, İ., Algın Yapar, E., & Yurdasiper, A. (2025). Recent approaches in topical acne treatment and drug delivery. Journal of Research in Pharmacy, 26(6), 1539-1554. https://izlik.org/JA87HF75NE

AMA

1.Günaydın A, Esentürk Güzel İ, Algın Yapar E, Yurdasiper A. Recent approaches in topical acne treatment and drug delivery. J. Res. Pharm. 2025;26(6):1539-1554. https://izlik.org/JA87HF75NE

Chicago

Günaydın, Aysu, İmren Esentürk Güzel, Evren Algın Yapar, and Aysu Yurdasiper. 2025. “Recent Approaches in Topical Acne Treatment and Drug Delivery”. Journal of Research in Pharmacy 26 (6): 1539-54. https://izlik.org/JA87HF75NE.

EndNote

Günaydın A, Esentürk Güzel İ, Algın Yapar E, Yurdasiper A (June 1, 2025) Recent approaches in topical acne treatment and drug delivery. Journal of Research in Pharmacy 26 6 1539–1554.

IEEE

[1]A. Günaydın, İ. Esentürk Güzel, E. Algın Yapar, and A. Yurdasiper, “Recent approaches in topical acne treatment and drug delivery”, J. Res. Pharm., vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 1539–1554, June 2025, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA87HF75NE

ISNAD

Günaydın, Aysu - Esentürk Güzel, İmren - Algın Yapar, Evren - Yurdasiper, Aysu. “Recent Approaches in Topical Acne Treatment and Drug Delivery”. Journal of Research in Pharmacy 26/6 (June 1, 2025): 1539-1554. https://izlik.org/JA87HF75NE.

JAMA

1.Günaydın A, Esentürk Güzel İ, Algın Yapar E, Yurdasiper A. Recent approaches in topical acne treatment and drug delivery. J. Res. Pharm. 2025;26:1539–1554.

MLA

Günaydın, Aysu, et al. “Recent Approaches in Topical Acne Treatment and Drug Delivery”. Journal of Research in Pharmacy, vol. 26, no. 6, June 2025, pp. 1539-54, https://izlik.org/JA87HF75NE.

Vancouver

1.Aysu Günaydın, İmren Esentürk Güzel, Evren Algın Yapar, Aysu Yurdasiper. Recent approaches in topical acne treatment and drug delivery. J. Res. Pharm. [Internet]. 2025 Jun. 1;26(6):1539-54. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA87HF75NE