Adapalene (AD) is one of the main retinoids used in the topical therapy of acne.

A new study published in Pharmaceutical Research aimed to overcome the skin irritation caused by retinoids, and hence, proposed encapsulation of AD in solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) using the ion pair strategy.

Here, the developed SLN-AD was characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, the drugs skin distribution and the skin irritationtestswere also performed.

The characterization studies demonstrated that the proposed strategy effectively provides high AD encapsulation in SLNs and its incorporation into a hydrophilic gel. Sustained release, epidermal targeting and less skin irritation were noted for SLN-AD gel in comparison to the marketed AD gel.

Thus, it was inferred that encapsulation of AD in SLNs through the formation of an ion pair is a valuable alternative to diminish the adverse skin reactions caused by AD and can optimize patient adherence to treatment.

Source: Pharmaceutical Research. 2020 Jul 17;37(8):148.doi: 10.1007/s11095-020-02866-0.