Volume 19 ; Issue 1 ; in Month : 2026 (2026) Article No : 140
Kumar S, Kumar P, Fazal B, et al.

Abstract

Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit driven by interacting abnormalities in sebum production, follicular keratinization, Cutibacterium acnes-associated inflammation and host immune responses. Benzoyl peroxide, topical retinoids and other guideline-supported agents remain effective, but local irritation, formulation-dependent tolerability, instability of some actives and adherence challenges continue to motivate advanced topical delivery approaches. Nanosponges are porous, cross-linked particulate carriers—frequently based on cyclodextrins or polymers such as ethyl cellulose—with internal cavities and high surface area that can modify drug solubility, retention and release. This project critically verifies published evidence on anti-acne nanosponge systems, with particular emphasis on benzoyl peroxide and azelaic acid. The published benzoyl peroxide study identified an ethyl-cellulose formulation (F9) with a particle-size range of 80–200 nm and loading efficiency of 87.9 ± 1.38%. Its 5% nanosponge-gel formulation (F9C) showed 98.39% cumulative release/permeation at 12 h in the reported in-vitro study, a flux of 0.1672 mg/cm²·h, a drug content of 95.74%, and non-Fickian release behavior. The formulation remained physically acceptable during 60 days of accelerated storage. Independent work with β-cyclodextrin nanosponges loaded with azelaic acid reported approximately five-fold improvement in aqueous solubility, 228 nm mean particle size, 0.14 polydispersity index, −21 mV zeta potential, approximately 88% encapsulation efficiency and controlled 24-h release. These data support nanosponges as promising topical carriers, but they do not establish clinical superiority. The main translational gaps are limited human clinical evidence, inconsistent terminology and characterization, scale-up, long-term safety, standardization of release/permeation methods, and the need to demonstrate clinically meaningful improvement over optimized conventional formulations.

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