Overcoming Skin Barrier with Transfersomes: Opportunities, Challenges, and Applications

Background Transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) offer several advantages over traditional methods such as injections and oral administration. These advantages include preventing first-pass metabolism, providing consistent and sustained activity, reducing side effects, enabling the use of short half-life drugs, improving physiological response, and enhancing patient convenience. However, the permeability of skin poses a challenge for TDDS, as it is impermeable to large molecules and hydrophilic drugs but permeable to small molecules and lipophilic drug. To overcome this barrier, researchers have investigated vesicular systems, such as transfersomes, liposomes, niosomes, and ethosomes. Among these vesicular systems, transfersomes are particularly promising for non-invasive drug administration due to their deformability and flexible membrane. They have been extensively studied for delivering anticancer drugs, insulin, corticosteroids, herbal medicines, and NSAIDs through the skin. Transfersomes have demonstrated efficacy in treating skin cancer, improving insulin delivery, enhancing site-specific corticosteroid delivery, and increasing the permeation and therapeutic effects of herbal medicines. They have also been effective in delivering pain relief with minimal side effects using NSAIDs and opioids. Transfersomes have been used for transdermal immunization and targeted drug delivery, offering site-specific release and minimizing adverse effects. Overall, transfersomes are a promising approach for transdermal drug delivery in various therapeutic applications.Objectives The aim of the present review is to discuss the various advantages and limitations of transfersomes and their mechanism to penetration across the skin, as well as their application for the delivery of various drugs like anticancer, antidiabetic, NSAIDs, herbal drugs, and transdermal immunization.Methods Data we searched from PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect.Results In this review, we have explored the various methods of preparation of transfersomes and their application for the delivery of various drugs like anticancer, antidiabetic, NSAIDs, herbal drugs, and transdermal immunization.Conclusion In comparison to other vesicular systems, transfersomes are more flexible, have greater skin penetration capability, can transport systemic medicines, and are more stable. Transfersomes are capable of delivering both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, making them suitable for transdermal drug delivery. The developed transfersomal gel could be used to improve medicine delivery through the skin.