Design of skin-permeable organic-inorganic hybrid nanoparticles

Transdermal drug delivery is a useful method to non-invasively deliver drugs from the epidermis to the affected area over the shortest distance using the permeability of the carrier. However, it is essential to design a carrier that can penetrate the hydrophobic barrier of the skin and disperse in the tissue fluid. In this study, we focused on the polymer structure of organic-inorganic hybrids and designed a carrier for a transdermal drug delivery system. The hybrid exhibited moderate lipid solubility owing to its surface structure comprising hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts and could, therefore, penetrate the outermost hydrophobic stratum corneum in approximately 1 h. Moreover, this hybrid exhibited an efficient structure that could retain various drugs within based on its porosity and a chemical structure comprising entangled polymer chains. It was successfully used to deliver hyaluronic acid to the dermis layer, making it a promising candidate for use as a carrier for bioimaging agents and drug delivery systems.