Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, USA.
AAPS J. 2021 Jan 6;23(1):19. doi: 10.1208/s12248-020-00544-y.
Malignant melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer for which there is currently no reliable therapy and is considered one of the leading health issues in the USA. At present, surgery is the most effective and acceptable treatment; however, surgical excision can be impractical in certain circumstances. Topical skin delivery of drugs using topical formulations is a potential alternative approach which can have many advantages aside from being a non-invasive delivery route. Nevertheless, the presence of the stratum corneum (SC) limits the penetration of drugs through the skin, lowering their treatment efficacy and raising concerns among physicians and patients as to their effectiveness. Currently, research groups are trying to circumvent the SC barrier by using skin penetration enhancement (SPE) strategies. The SPE strategies investigated include chemical skin penetration enhancers (CPEs), physical skin penetration enhancers (PPEs), nanocarrier systems, and a combination of SPE strategies (cream). Of these, PPEs and cream are the most advanced approaches in terms of preclinical and clinical studies, respectively.
恶性黑色素瘤是一种侵袭性皮肤癌，目前尚无可靠的治疗方法，被认为是美国主要的健康问题之一。目前，手术是最有效和可接受的治疗方法；然而，在某些情况下，手术切除可能不切实际。使用局部制剂进行局部皮肤给药是一种潜在的替代方法，除了作为非侵入性的给药途径外，它还有许多优点。然而，角质层（SC）的存在限制了药物通过皮肤的渗透，降低了它们的治疗效果，并引起了医生和患者对其有效性的关注。目前，研究小组正试图通过使用皮肤渗透增强（SPE）策略来规避 SC 屏障。研究中的 SPE 策略包括化学皮肤渗透增强剂（CPEs）、物理皮肤渗透增强剂（PPEs）、纳米载体系统以及 SPE 策略的组合（乳膏）。在这些策略中，PPEs 和乳膏在临床前和临床研究方面分别是最先进的方法。
