Vorinostat polymeric nanoparticle gel: A promising therapy for management of psoriasis

The present study aimed to develop and evaluate a PLGA-based nanoparticles (PNPs) gel of vorinostat to enhance its therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of psoriasis. Vorinostat-loaded PNPs were prepared using the nanoprecipitation method using minimum amount of solvent and surfactant. The nanoparticles were characterized for particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency, while the vorinostat-loaded PNPs gel was evaluated for rheological properties, in vitro drug release, skin permeation, and retention. The optimized PNPs exhibited a mean particle size of 161.70 ± 1.32 nm, PDI of 0.16 ± 0.03, zeta potential of −7.53 ± 0.04 mV, and entrapment efficiency of 89.87 ± 3.28 %. The vorinostat-loaded PNPs gel showed sustained drug release (88.05 ± 0.51 % over 72 h) and a five-fold increase in skin retention (16.82 ± 1.26 μg/cm²) compared to plain vorinostat gel. In vivo evaluation using an imiquimod-induced psoriatic mouse model demonstrated significant improvement in PASI scores, histopathological features, and immunohistochemical markers compared to the marketed formulation and plain vorinostat gel. These findings suggest that vorinostat-loaded PNPs gel offers a promising, scalable, and safer topical strategy for enhanced dermal delivery and effective management of psoriasis.