Nanocarriers as Prospective Approach in Effective Management of Acne Vulgaris

Acne is a chronic disease associated with the pilosebaceous unit and is affected by Propionibacterium acnes bacteria. Approximately 95% of people worldwide suffer from acne in their life span with a higher prevalence among teenagers (esp. boys). Conventional strategies incorporating antibiotics, steroids, hormones, etc. are recommended orally, systemically, or topically, employed for the treatment of acne but with various side effects (itching, scaling, redness, etc.) and are no more commercially accepted. The literature has been collected using various search engines google scholar, PubMed, science direct, etc. The review highlights the history of acne, its pathophysiology, developmental factors, various treatment evolutions strategies ranging from conventional to novel approach eradicating the secondary effects with enhanced efficacy and safety profile. We discussed various nanotechnological carriers (liposomes, niosomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, microsponges and other nanoscale formulations), which are formulated in the last decade for the effective treatment of acne. Patent literature and marketed formulations are included in the last sections. The encapsulation efficiency of anti-acne drugs in different nanocarriers improves the efficacy as well as minimizes the side effects of the drug. These carriers showed better bioavailability as well as better penetration effects even to the pilosebaceous unit of the skin. Tolerance can be improved by increasing the concentration of anti-acne drugs in the nano-carrier formulation. Conventional treatment strategies for acne had some limitations like scaling, itching, and inflammation which can be overcome by nano-formulations, which exhibit better efficacy. At present, various nano-technological carriers are being used potentially for the treatment of acne. These nano-formulations are also associated with some limitations like drug entrapment, stability issues, but these will be overcome in the upcoming years as long as the research is being continued in this area.