"Pharmacy Tuesdays" Lecture – June 6

Lipid Formulations for Topical Use: The Benefits of Polyoxazolines for Targeted Delivery – Laurianne SIMON

The skin, the body’s primary protective barrier against external aggressors, is increasingly under attack from environmental sources. Daily aggressors (pollution, tobacco, UV rays, etc.) trigger an overproduction of free radicals, which leads to premature skin aging and promotes the development of skin conditions and cancers. To effectively neutralize excess free radicals, active ingredients (antioxidants) must be delivered in situ, deep within the epidermis. But how can they effectively penetrate the skin without damaging it?

To achieve this goal, we at the ICGM, as part of Prof. Sylvie Begu’s team, developed custom lipid-based nanoformulations to deliver antioxidants to the epidermis. These nanoformulations were created using bio-inspired polymers—polyoxazolines—that partially mimic the structure of our skin. We were thus able to evaluate the physicochemical properties of the polymeric formulations and validate their efficacy in vitro and in vivo. The formulations were able to penetrate the skin without damaging cells to deliver the encapsulated antioxidants to the epidermis. This research therefore paves the way for new skin therapies to treat conditions such as psoriasis or melanoma, whose global prevalence is increasing significantly.