Table 2.

Novel drug delivery systems for antiacne agent.

Novel drug delivery carrier	Drug entrapped	Method of preparation	Problem statement	Advantages	Reference
Nanoparticles	Chitosan Alginate	Ultrasonication	Low solubility	Enhanced antimicrobial activity	[128]
	Minocycline	Ion pairing	Lack of drug loading and entrapment efficiency due to hydrophilicity of the drug	Enhanced drug loading and entrapment efficiency and controlled release	[129]
	Azelaic acid	Emulsification solvent diffusion	Fewer side effects	Enhanced drug retention at PSU and stability	[130]
	Triclosan	Solvent displacement	Insufficient permeation and absorption via cutaneous route	Non-irritant to skin, enhanced stability	[131]
	Cyproterone acetate	Ultrasonication	Systemic antiandrogenic effects	Increased skin penetration and absorption	[132]
	Garcinia mangostana	Solvent Displacement; Ion gelation reaction	Water insolubility	Increased follicular penetration and absorption; Increased therapeutic activity	[133, 134]
Niosomes	Gallidermin	Freeze drying	For oral administration only and systemic pass demerits	Topical formulation with enhanced chemical stability	[135]
	Tretinoin	Thin film hydration	Photodegradation	Increased accumulation in superficial stratum and stability, Increased drug release and entrapment efficiencies	[136, 137]
	Rosmarinic acid	Reverse phase evaporation	Low water solubility	Increased skin retention of drug and facilitated prolong release	[121]
Liposomes	Isotretinoin	Sonication	Skin irritation, very low water solubility, difficulty to incorporate in topical base, photodegradation	Potential for skin targeting, prolonging drug release, reduction of photodegradation and skin irritation	[138]
	Clindamycin hydrochloride	Film formation	Lesser reduction in number of lesions	Enhanced antiacne activity and sustained release of drug	[139]
	Finasteride	Film formation	Only oral administration possible	Topical application with enhanced drug concentration	[140]
	Tretinoin	Film formation	Skin irritant, photo instability	Enhanced local tolerability and 5-6 times increase comedolytic activity, Reduced photo instability	[141, 142]
	Tea tree oil	Ultrasonication	Lesser absorption via follicular route	Facilitated follicular route absorption	[143]
	Salicylic acid	Thin film hydration	Skin irritant	Increased entrapment efficiency and stability	[144]
	Cyproterone acetate	—	Systemic antiandrogenic effects	Increased activity by reducing acne lesions and adverse effects	[145]
	Benzoyl peroxide	Film hydration	Skin irritation	Improved antibacterial activity, reduced irritation	[146]
Solid lipid nanoparticles	Isotretinoin	Microemulsification	Teratogenicity, mucocutaneous problems like cheilitis, dermatitis, conjunctivitis, blepharitis, skin fragility and xerosis, psychological disorders, erythema, dryness, itching, stinging, skin peeling	Reduced dermal irritation, increased therapeutic performance	[147]
	Retinoic acid	Hot melt homogenization	Sensitive to sunlight, eczematous irritation, erythema, interaction with other applied products	Comedolytic effect, reduction in RA induced irritation	[148]
	Neem oil	Double emulsification	Lesser drug absorption	Prolonged treatment of acne	[149]
	Tretinoin	Hot high pressure homogenization	Skin irritation and chemical instability	High encapsulation efficacy, physical stability and absence of cytotoxicity	[127]
	Terbinafine hydrochloride	Solvent Injection	Longer duration of treatment	Controlled release, drug targeting	[150]
Nanosuspension	Tretinoin	Precipitation	Poor water solubility and photostability	Improved drug permeation and UV irradiation stability	[151]
Nanoemulsion	Tretinoin, Tetracycline	Sonication	Skin irritation, a burning sensation, and peeling	Enhanced drug permeation and antibacterial activity	[152]
Nano lipid carriers	Tretinoin, Tetracycline	Sonication	Skin irritation, a burning sensation, and peeling	Enhanced drug permeation and antibacterial activity	[152]
Microemulsions	Azelaic acid	—	Large and frequent dosing	Enhanced stability	[153]
	Niflumic acid	Homogenization	Weak solubility in oil and aqueous phases	Increased bioavailability at lesser concentration	[154]
	Retinoic acid	Homogenization	Systemic side effects	Enhanced skin accumulation of retinoic acid	[155]
Microspheres	Benzoyl peroxide	Emulsification	Skin irritation	Appropriate reduction in P. acnes count, reduced skin irritation	[156]
	Retinoid	Emulsification	Skin irritation and instability	Reduced irritation and enhanced stability	[157]
Hydrogel Patches	Triclosan	Film gelation	Insufficient permeation and absorption via cutaneous route	Enhanced transdermal penetration	[158]