Abstract: Vitiligo is a depigmentation disease that seriously affects the physical health, mental health and quality of life of a patient. Therapeutic aim at control immunoreaction by relieving oxidative stress. Unfortunately, the cuticle barrier function and lack of specific accumulation lead to unsatisfactory therapeutic outcomes and side effects. The introduction and innovation of nanotechnology offers inspiration and clues for the development of new strategies to treat vitiligo. However, not many studies have been done to interrogate how nanotechnology can be used for vitiligo treatment. In this review, we summarize and analyze recent studies involving nano-drug delivery systems for the treatment of vitiligo, with a special emphasis on liposomes, niosomes, nanohydrogel and nanoparticles. These studies made significant progress by either increasing drug loading efficiency or enhancing penetration. Based on these studies, there are three proposed principles for topical nano-drug delivery systems treatment of vitiligo including the promotion of transdermal penetration, enhancement of drug retention and facilitation of melanin regeneration. The presentation of these ideas may provide inspirations for the future development of topical drug delivery systems that will conquer vitiligo.
Keywords: vitiligo, nano-drug delivery system, transdermal penetration, liposomes, skin