Issue 19, 2018

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based advanced dermal therapeutics: current trends and future potential

Abstract

The search for effective and non-invasive delivery modules to transport therapeutic molecules across skin has led to the discovery of a number of nanocarriers (viz.: liposomes, ethosomes, dendrimers, etc.) in the last few decades. However, available literature suggests that these delivery modules face several issues including poor stability, low encapsulation efficiency, and scale-up hurdles. Recently, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) emerged as a versatile tool to deliver therapeutics across skin. Superior stability, high loading capacity, well-developed synthesis protocol as well as ease of scale-up are some of the reason for growing interest in CNTs. CNTs have a unique physical architecture and a large surface area with unique surface chemistry that can be tailored for vivid biomedical applications. CNTs have been thus largely engaged in the development of transdermal systems such as tuneable hydrogels, programmable nonporous membranes, electroresponsive skin modalities, protein channel mimetic platforms, reverse iontophoresis, microneedles, and dermal buckypapers. In addition, CNTs were also employed in the development of RNA interference (RNAi) based therapeutics for correcting defective dermal genes. This review expounds the state-of-art synthesis methodologies, skin penetration mechanism, drug liberation profile, loading potential, characterization techniques, and transdermal applications along with a summary on patent/regulatory status and future scope of CNT based skin therapeutics.

Graphical abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based advanced dermal therapeutics: current trends and future potential

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
16 Feb 2018
Accepted
07 Apr 2018
First published
09 Apr 2018

Nanoscale, 2018,10, 8911-8937

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based advanced dermal therapeutics: current trends and future potential

K. Kuche, R. Maheshwari, V. Tambe, K. Mak, H. Jogi, N. Raval, M. R. Pichika and R. Kumar Tekade, Nanoscale, 2018, 10, 8911 DOI: 10.1039/C8NR01383G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements