Design of liposomal tocopherol phosphate for dermal applications

Liposomes have gained a great attention in cosmeceutical dermal delivery. These nanolipid carriers can load numerous actives, and when applied on skin they can form transparent film that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL), i.e., increases skin hydration. This work aims were to investigate the feasibility of forming liposomal tocopherol phosphate (TPLP) and to evaluate their ex vivo skin penetration profiles, skin hydration, in vitro cell migration effects, and in vivo wound healing effects. The TPLP formulations were prepared by thin film hydration method. In vitro release testing (IVRT) and ex-vivo skin penetration studies were performed in Franz diffusion cells. The migration effect was performed using in vitro scratch assay on human dermal fibroblast (HDF). The wound healing properties were studied in vivo on mouse excisional wound model. The TPLP-7 formulation was physically stable with small size, and low PDI. The flux of TP from TPLP-7 was 218.74 ± 131.74 and 151.84 ± 38.72 µg/cm²/min, for IVRT and ex-vivo penetration testing, respectively. The TEWL measurements confirmed superior skin hydrating effects following TPLP-7 application compared with free TP control (pH 8). The TPLP-7 also showed good skin tolerability and notable antioxidant activity. The TPLP-7 significantly promoted HDF migration and accelerated scratch closure. These findings were consistent with the in vivo results, where TPLP-7 and free TP enhanced the wound closure similar to the positive control. This study highlights the potential use of TP liposomes as a promising candidate for cosmeceutical and wound healing applications.