Coenzyme Q10 loaded lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles in gel for the treatment of psoriasis like skin condition

Abstract

Psoriasis is characterized by severe dermal inflammation caused by pre-oxidants that dominate the skin's antioxidant system. The available therapeutic strategies seeks betterment in terms of cost effectiveness, long-term usage and safety. This research work highlights the use of monolithic polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles to deliver coenzyme Q10, a prominent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory biomolecule, to the skin. The system has both polymeric and lipidic characteristics, so each could compensate the other's shortcomings. The particle size, polydispersity index, and encapsulation efficiency of the nanoformulation were found to be 121 ± 11.61 nm, 0.252 ± 0.073, and 78.57 ± 3.88%, respectively, when produced employing the hot homogenization technique. The nanoparticles released CoQ10 steadily and consistently for up to 3 days. Further, the nanoformulation was used as a topical gel (CoQ10–0.06% w/w), and demonstrating non-newtonian rheological characteristics. An imiquimod-induced psoriatic mouse model was used to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of the nanoformulation gel, which produced a significant increase in CoQ10 efficacy when applied topically compared to free CoQ10 gels. Overall, the CoQ10 loaded NanoHybrid gel was found to be efficient for the in vivo application for the treatment of psoriasis like skin conditions.