Novel drug delivery systems: potential in improving topical delivery of antiacne agents

Acne is the most common cutaneous disorder of multifactorial origin with a prevalence of 70-85% in adolescents. The majority of the acne sufferers exhibit mild to moderate acne initially, which progresses to the severe form in certain cases. Topical therapy is employed as first-line treatment in mild acne, whereas for moderate and severe acne, systemic therapy is required in addition to topical therapy. Currently, several topical agents are available that affect at least one of the main pathogenetic factors responsible for the development of acne. Although topical therapy has an important position in acne treatment, side effects associated with various topical antiacne agents and the undesirable physicochemical characteristics of certain important agents like tretinoin and benzoyl peroxide affect their utility and patient compliance. Novel drug delivery strategies can play a pivotal role in improving the topical delivery of antiacne agents by enhancing their dermal localization with a concomitant reduction in their side effects. The current review emphasizes the potential of various novel drug delivery strategies like liposomes, niosomes, aspasomes, microsponges, microemulsions, hydrogels and solid lipid nanoparticles in optimizing and enhancing the topical delivery of antiacne agents.