Advanced systems for glucocorticoids' dermal delivery

Introduction: Although the skin provides a natural physical barrier against particle penetration, there are opportunities to deliver therapeutic agents through this barrier. With rapid developments in materials science, pharmaceutics, and biotechnology, new systems have emerged for topical glucocorticoids (TG) delivery. Despite being a mature class of drugs, TG are still the most frequently prescribed drugs by dermatologists, explaining the interest on this field. Areas covered: Over the years, research has focused on strategies to optimize the potency of steroids while minimizing adverse effects. Several attempts have been made to increase the safety of TG treatment, including new application schedules, special vehicles, and new synthesized agents. This paper gives an overview on the conventional and advanced vehicles used to deliver TG, including strategies to improve the delivery and accumulation of TG. The therapeutic advantages of TG delivery to the epidermis are discussed with a special focus on new drug-delivery systems for topical application. Expert opinion: New technologies have been developed for TG delivery, and studies are currently underway in order to obtain improved benefit/risk ratio. A rationale development approach that integrates simple formulations would help to develop vehicles with these features.