Gold nanoparticles for skin drug delivery

Nanoparticle-based drug carriers are being pursued intensely to overcome the skin barrier and improve even hydrophilic or macromolecular drug delivery into or across the skin efficiently. Over the past few years, the application of gold nanoparticles as a novel kind of drug carrier for skin drug delivery has attracted increasing attention because of their unique properties and versatility. In this review, we summarized the possible factors contributing to the penetration behaviors of gold nanoparticles, including size, surface chemistry, and shape. Drug loading, release, and penetration patterns were captured towards implicating the design of gold nano -particles for dermal or transdermal drug delivery. Physical methods applicable for future enhancing the delivery efficacy of GNPs were also presented, which mainly included microneedles and iontophoresis. As a promising drug, the inherent activities of GNPs were finally discussed, especially regarding their application in the treatment of skin disease. Thus, this paper provided a comprehensive review of the use of gold nanoparticles for skin drug delivery, which would help the design of multifunctional systems for skin drug delivery based on gold nanoparticles.

Automated summary

This review summarizes the application of gold nanoparticles as drug carriers for skin drug delivery. Factors influencing the penetration behaviors of gold nanoparticles, such as size, surface chemistry, and shape, are discussed. Drug loading, release, and penetration patterns are analyzed to implicate the design of gold nanoparticles for dermal or transdermal drug delivery. Physical methods, including microneedles and iontophoresis, are presented for enhancing the delivery efficacy of gold nanoparticles. The inherent activities of gold nanoparticles, especially their application in the treatment of skin disease, are also discussed.