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. 2014 Feb 28;6(1):52-77.
doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics6010052.

Overcoming the cutaneous barrier with microemulsions

Luciana B Lopes  1
Affiliations

Overcoming the cutaneous barrier with microemulsions

Luciana B Lopes. Pharmaceutics. .

Abstract

Microemulsions are fluid and isotropic formulations that have been widely studied as delivery systems for a variety of routes, including the skin. In spite of what the name suggests, microemulsions are nanocarriers, and their use as topical delivery systems derives from their multiple advantages compared to other dermatological formulations, such as ease of preparation, thermodynamic stability and penetration-enhancing properties. Composition, charge and internal structure have been reported as determinant factors for the modulation of drug release and cutaneous and transdermal transport. This manuscript aims at reviewing how these and other characteristics affect delivery and make microemulsions appealing for topical and transdermal administration, as well as how they can be modulated during the formulation design to improve the potential and efficacy of the final system.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Microemulsion-related parameters influencing skin penetration and transdermal delivery of drugs and other active compounds. Depending on its physicochemical characteristics and system microstructure, a drug may be incorporated in the dispersed phase, dispersing medium and/or within the interface (at least partially). The term drug release was used here to address the process of a drug incorporated in any of these regions “leaving” the formulation, giving a measure of drug supply to the skin surface by the formulation. The term is generally used in the pharmaceutical literature. However, not every drug needs to be released, such as hydrophilic compounds dissolved in the dispersing aqueous phase. Hydrophobic drugs incorporated in non-polar domains must partition into stratum corneum, and some authors prefer the term “location exchange” for this process.
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