Researchers have developed four novel lipid vesicles that allow topical delivery of cyclosporine A, and hold the potential to permit topical delivery of more medications that currently require oral or injected delivery.
While oral cyclosporine A has been used on- and off-label for a number of dermatological conditions, including psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, the investigators note that delivering it topically directly to an affected region of skin rather than systemically could improve its safety profile while remaining effective and inexpensive.
In a press release from Jan. 17, 2020, principal investigator Ana Melero, PhD, said that topical administration is easier to apply and makes it possible to reduce the dose and risks of infection and other serious effects associated with the distribution of medications throughout the body.
“The novelty is that [the new lipid vesicles] enable the absorption of a drug of greater size than usual through the skin and opens a route of administration of other substances for therapeutic, diagnostic or even vaccination purposes through the intact skin, without having to be injected.”
Dr. Melero is an associate professor in the department of pharmacy and pharmaceutical technology and parasitology at the University of Valencia in Valencia, Spain.
The findings were published online ahead of print in Drug Delivery and Translational Research (Dec. 6, 2019). In the paper, researchers evaluated the four different lipid vesicles for stability after freeze-drying both with and without cryoprotective additives. Also, their ability to deliver cyclosporine A into the skin was assessed using human epidermis in Franz diffusion cells and compared to the delivery of drug solutions with enhancers. All four experimental lipid vesicles were able to effectively deliver the medication into human skin in vitro.