Bicosomes emerge as a strategy for skin treatment and to facilitate the permeation of actives into specific layers of the cutaneous tissue. These structures are based on spherical vesicles around 100 nm-300 nm in diameter that encapsulate discoidal structures (Fig. 1).
Beta-carotene antioxidant has been incorporated in a new lipid system, bicosomes, and its effectiveness against free radical formation in skin was determined using 5,5dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) spin trap and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed that the diameter of these structures is about 250 nm and cryo transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) imaged that bicosomes are formed by lipid vesicles including discoidal structures. EPR revealed that bicosomes containing β-carotene presented a high free radical scavenging activity in the skin exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UV).
The combination of lipid composition, small size and morphological versatility give high applicability to bicosomes for skin uses. The small discoidal structures have the ability to penetrate through the narrow intracellular spaces of the skin stratum corneum (SC) and to modulate the barrier function of this tissue. Additionally, structures from bicosomes are able to be retained in between the skin layers. This fact favours a slow release of the active contained in bicosomes and, as a consequence, higher efficiency of this active.
This work studies the ability of bicosomes as carriers of the antioxidant β-carotene and evaluates the potential free radical scavenging effect on the skin of this system.
Log in or register FREE to read the rest
This story is Premium Content and is only available to registered users. Please log in at the top of the page to view the full text.
If you don't already have an account, please register with us completely free of charge.
