Nanocarriers in Transdermal Drug Delivery

The transdermal route of drug administration is the most widely used route for systemic administration of drugs due to the convenience and noninvasiveness it provides. Skin is one of the largest organs offering multiple sites for drug delivery and acting as “reservoir” for sustained delivery of drugs. However, the penetration of drugs through skin is hindered due to stratum corneum, which acts as an efficient barrier. In order to overcome this barrier, nanocarriers (liposomes, nanoparticles, ethosomes, dendrimers, etc.) have emerged as an efficient tool for delivering a range of drugs through stratum corneum. In this chapter, various nanocarriers for transdermal delivery, their applications, commercial formulations, safety, and toxicity are described.