Slavkova Marta, Tzankov Borislav, Popova Teodora, Voycheva Christina
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Gels. 2023 Apr 22;9(5):352. doi: 10.3390/gels9050352.
Skin cancer, with all its variations, is the most common type of cancer worldwide. Chemotherapy by topical application is an attractive strategy because of the ease of application and non-invasiveness. At the same time, the delivery of antineoplastic agents through the skin is difficult because of their challenging physicochemical properties (solubility, ionization, molecular weight, melting point) and the barrier function of the stratum corneum. Various approaches have been applied in order to improve drug penetration, retention, and efficacy. This systematic review aims at identifying the most commonly used techniques for topical drug delivery by means of gel-based topical formulations in skin cancer treatment. The excipients used, the preparation approaches, and the methods characterizing gels are discussed in brief. The safety aspects are also highlighted. The combinatorial formulation of nanocarrier-loaded gels is also reviewed from the perspective of improving drug delivery characteristics. Some limitations and drawbacks in the identified strategies are also outlined and considered within the future scope of topical chemotherapy.
皮肤癌，包括其所有变体，是全球最常见的癌症类型。局部应用化疗是一种有吸引力的策略，因为其应用简便且无创。与此同时，由于抗肿瘤药物具有挑战性的物理化学性质（溶解度、电离度、分子量、熔点）以及角质层的屏障功能，通过皮肤递送这些药物很困难。为了提高药物的渗透性、滞留性和疗效，人们应用了各种方法。本系统评价旨在确定在皮肤癌治疗中基于凝胶的局部制剂用于局部药物递送的最常用技术。简要讨论了所使用的辅料、制备方法以及表征凝胶的方法。还强调了安全性方面。从改善药物递送特性的角度对载有纳米载体的凝胶的组合制剂也进行了综述。在所确定的策略中存在的一些局限性和缺点也在局部化疗的未来范围内进行了概述和考量。
