Abstract

Introduction: Psoriasis is an incurable, non-contagious inflammatory autoimmune skin disease characterised by abnormal skin redness and flaky patches on the body surface. It is caused by negative signals produced by the immune system, leading to excessive growth and differentiation of keratinocytes and other inflammatory reactions on the skin. The topical route is primarily preferred in treating skin disorders due to the smaller size of the drug molecule, which allows them to cross the outer layer of the skin, i.e., stratum corneum, and permeate into the deep layer, unlike transdermal and other routes. The conventional topical treatments used in the past, such as coal tar and dithranol, lead to meager patient compliance due to decreased potency and imperfect aesthetic. In contrast, systemic therapy such as methotrexate, cyclosporine, and acitretin produce related side effects. At present, various novel carriers like liposomes, ethosomes, niosomes, nanostructured lipid carriers, etc., have shown promising results in the treatment of psoriasis. Therefore, this review primarily concentrates on the current advancements in novel carriers for various drugs to treat psoriasis topically.

Discussion: The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the pathophysiology, epidemiology, types, causes, diagnosis, and topical treatment options for psoriasis, as well as the role of nanotechnology- based delivery systems in psoriasis management.

Keywords: Nanocarriers, nanostructured lipid carriers, solid lipid nanoparticles, psoriasis, emulsions, nanoparticles, liposomes.