PLA-Based Nanoparticulate Drug Carriers as a Percutaneous Delivery System for Ketoprofen

By integrating nanoscience, engineering, and technology, nanoparticles have found an increasing number of applications in the field of drug delivery, offering promising possibilities to significantly improve medical diagnosis and therapy. Particularly focus has been directed toward the development of a wide spectrum of novel biomedical nanomaterials for their utilization in formulating carriers for controlled drug delivery as well as in diagnostic applications. Special attention has been paid to synthetic polymers due to their biodegradability and biocompatibility. Numerous studies have demonstrated that incorporating polymeric nanocarriers in topical products enhances the percutaneous penetration of the therapeutic agents and offers increased efficacy, controlled drug release, reduced enzymatic degradation, improved drug stability, and reduced skin irritation.This chapter focuses on the preparation and characterization of ketoprofen-loaded biodegradable polymer nanoparticles, as well as on the different aspects of their percutaneous absorption. The physicochemical properties of polymer-based nanosystems responsible for successful drug delivery following topical application are highlighted in the following discussion.