Lipid-Polymeric Films: Composition, Production and Applications in Wound Healing and Skin Repair

The use of lipids in the composition of polymeric-based films for topical administration of bioactive ingredients is a recent research topic; while few products are commercially available, films containing lipids represent a strategic area for the development of new products. Some lipids are usually used in polymeric-based film formulations due to their plasticizing action, with a view to improving the mechanical properties of these films.

On the other hand, many lipids have healing, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging properties, among others, that make them even more interesting for application in the medical-pharmaceutical field. This manuscript discusses the production methods of these films both on a laboratory and at industrial scales, the properties of the developed biopolymers, and their advantages for the development of dermatologic and cosmetic products.

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Introduction: The skin is the largest organ in the human body, occupying an average area of 2 m2, which corresponds to about 10 to 15% of the total body weight [1]. It is a complex and heterogeneous covering organ [2], whose main role is to protect the organism by preventing the entry of harmful substances [3], and also by avoiding the excessive evaporation of water, which would lead to dehydration, thereby promoting a barrier function, being the epidermis the most important layer for this function [4,5,6].

The epidermis, which is represented in Figure 1, is the layer above the dermis consisting of stratified squamous epithelium. In thick skin (palms and soles), five layers can be distinguished in the epidermis. Starting from the deepest towards the surface, there is the basal stratum, the spinous stratum, the granular stratum, lucid stratum, and the stratum corneum. The lucid stratum is not present in thin skin. The cells of the epidermis are a dynamic system, i.e., they are constantly renewed, from their junction with the dermis to the skin surface, where a permanent peeling occurs [7,8]. The epidermis has four types of cells, namely Langerhans cells, keratinocytes, Merkel cells, and melanocytes, illustrated in Figure 1.

Article information: Souto, E.B.; Yoshida, C.M.P.; Leonardi, G.R.; Cano, A.; Sanchez-Lopez, E.; Zielinska, A.; Viseras, C.; Severino, P.; Silva, C.F.d.; Barbosa, R.d.M. Lipid-Polymeric Films: Composition, Production and Applications in Wound Healing and Skin Repair. Pharmaceutics 2021, 13, 1199. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13081199