Pharmacy Tuesdays" conference - June 06

Lipid formulations for the topical route: the advantages of polyoxazolines for targeted delivery - Laurianne SIMON

The skin, the main protective barrier against external aggression, is increasingly under attack from environmental sources. Daily aggressions (pollution, tobacco, UV rays...) generate an overproduction of free radicals, leading to premature aging of the skin and promoting the development of skin pathologies and cancers. To effectively neutralize excess radicals, we need to deliver active ingredients (antioxidants) in situ, deep into the epidermis. But how can we effectively penetrate the skin without damaging it?

To achieve this goal, we at the ICGM, in Prof. Sylvie Begu's team, have developed tailor-made lipid nanoformulations to deliver antioxidants to the epidermis. These nanoformulations were developed using polyoxazolines, bio-inspired polymers that partly mimic the structure of our skin. This enabled us to assess the physico-chemical properties of the polymeric formulations and validate their efficacy in vitro and in vivo. The formulations were able to penetrate the skin without damaging the cells, delivering the antioxidants encapsulated in the epidermis. This work paves the way for new skin therapies to treat pathologies such as psoriasis and melanoma, whose prevalence is increasing worldwide.