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Updated: Jun 8, 2025

Targeted Plasma Membrane Delivery of a Hydrophobic Cargo Encapsulated in a Liquid Crystal Nanoparticle Carrier
Published on: February 8, 2017
Intercellular lipid-cored, hectorite nanoplatelet-armored pickering emulsions with enhanced transdermal delivery and
Boryeong Lee1, Lakshmishri Prabakaran1, Minkyoung Jang1
1School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea. jinwoongkim@skku.edu.
Abstract:
This study presents intercellular lipid-based Pickering emulsions (ILPEs) comprising a core of intercellular lipids (ILs) and an exterior solid layer of hectorite nanoplatelets (HNPs), formulated via an oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsion technique to augment dermal penetration and moisture retention. Cationic surfactant-modified HNPs electrostatically interacted with stearic acid and ILs, forming robust, organized lamellar structures at the O/W interface and within the core. HNP integration into the IL matrix significantly elevated the interfacial modulus, enhancing emulsion stability. HNP- and SA-modified ILPEs demonstrated uniform distribution of a proxy drug across porcine epidermis to a depth of 20 μm, maintaining approximately 50% hydration after 72 h. These findings underscore the potential of ILPEs for cutaneous applications, offering superior stability, epidermal penetration, and improved stratum corneum hydration.
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