Tacrolimus nanomedicince in the treatment of atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing inflammation of the skin that usually affects children as well as adults. It is characterized by erythema, pruritus, exudation, scaling, crusting, and sometimes lichenification. The etiology of atopic dermatitis is unknown. Most individuals who are affected have a personal or family history of allergies. The first-line for treatment for atopic dermatitis is usually topical corticosteroids & oral antihistamines. Nonetheless, they can be associated with tremendous adverse effects when used for longer periods of time. Tacrolimus, an immunomodulator originally used to prevent organ transplant rejection, has been formulated topically in a lipid nanoparticle and has been shown to decrease pruritis and inflammation, significantly, within three days of starting therapy and to have persistent effects for as long as 12 months. The drug was isolated from the fermentation broth of Streptomyces tsuku-baensis and belongs to a class of drugs called topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs). Keywords: Nanoparticles; Nanomedicine; Nanotechnology; Nanodermatology; Atopic dermatitis; Tacrolimus; Corticosteroids; Drug delivery