Nanostructured Lipid Carrier for Topical Application of N-Acetyl Glucosamine

The study developed a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) for the topical application of N-acetyl glucosamine (NAGA) to address hyperpigmentation. NAGA, which inhibits melanin synthesis, was successfully incorporated into NLCs using a hot homogenization technique. The optimized NLCs had a particle size of 190 nm, a loading capacity of 9%, and released over 90% of NAGA within 6 hours. In vivo tests on human volunteers showed a considerable decline in melanin distribution with NAGA-loaded NLCs, but after 8 weeks, there was no significant difference in skin melanin density compared to controls. The study suggests that future research with more participants and a longer treatment duration might be more conclusive. The research was funded by the Drug Applied Research Center of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and was part of a Pharm.D. thesis, with ethical approval from the Research Ethical Committee of the same institution.