NANOSTRUCTURED LIPID CARRIERS: A PROMISING APPROACH FOR TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) are innovative pharmaceutical formulations made up of physiological and biocompatible lipids, as well as surfactants and co-surfactant. The initial generation of lipid nanoparticles was Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN), which had a longer-lasting activity and was better, suited to drug penetration. The NLC is a second-generation lipid nanoparticle designed to alleviate the limitations of SLN, such as limited drug loading capacity and solid lipid polymorphism. Many benefits of topical medication delivery include avoiding first-pass metabolism, focusing active components for a local effect, and patient compliance. When compared to typical topical dose forms, nanoparticles have a greater effect in transporting medications through the skin. The structure, composition, many formulation methods, and characterization of NLCs are all important aspects in formulating a stable drug delivery system, as discussed in this review paper. A variety of approaches are used to make solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers, which are discussed in this paper. Lipid nanoparticles have a variety of features that make them suitable for topical usage in cosmetics and medicinal formulations. Because of extensive positive benefits such as skin hydration, skin occlusion, and skin targeting, NLCs have a significant potential in the pharmaceutical market. Skin hydration is important for API topical distribution because it hydrates the skin, which causes the pores to open. Trans epidermal water loss decreases due to the occlusion nature of lipid nanoparticles, softening the skin. It is more suited since it uses biodegradable grade lipid, which does not cause toxicity like polymeric Nano formulations. Actually, because of their biodegradable composition, NLCs are a "Nano safe" carrier that has a lot of potential for overcoming the obstacles of topical distribution.