30, June 2026

Advanced Drug Delivery System For Transungual Therapy: Current Strategies And Future Perspectives

VOLUME-10; ISSUE-6; JUNE-2026

Author(s): 1. Utkarsh Gupta, 2. Neeraj Kumar Prajapati, 3. Dr. Anurag Kumar

Authors Affiliations:

¹M. Pharm (Pharmaceutics) Student, Shree Krishna College of Pharmacy, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India, 261125 (Affiliated to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India)

²Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics, Shree Krishna College of Pharmacy, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India, 261125

3Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Shree Krishna College of Pharmacy, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India, 261125

DOIs:10.2017/IJRCS/202606011     |     Paper ID: IJRCS202606011


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Onychomycosis is a common fungal infection of the nail unit, which is particularly difficult to manage because the dense keratinized structure of the Nail Plate (NP) restricts the penetration of therapeutic agents. Some of the limitations associated with other forms of treatment include systemic toxicity, non-adherence to treatment by the patient as well as inadequate delivery of the drugs to the site of infection. The aim of this narrative review is to provide the general overview of the recent advances in transungual drug delivery systems (TDDS) and to give a particular focus on the strategies which have been developed within the period between 2018-2026. It is a critical analysis of structural and physicochemical obstacles of the nail, traditional treatment hindrances and application of modern delivery modes like microspheres, nanoparticles, vesicular carriers and physical enhancement techniques. Microspheres-in-gel systems have gained considerable attention because they combine sustained drug release with enhanced nail hydration and prolonged residence time, thereby improving drug permeation and retention. The review also identifies important polymers, formulation techniques as well as evaluation techniques used in the research of transungual delivery. Although encouraging in vitro and ex vivo results exist, there still exists a large gap in clinical translation due to a lack of clinical trials and scalability. The future outlook focuses on how smart delivery systems, artificial intelligence, and combination therapies could be used to enhance the therapeutic outcomes.

Onychomycosis, Transungual drug delivery, Nanoparticles, Microspheres, Nail permeability, Antifungal therapy

Utkarsh Gupta, Neeraj Kumar Prajapati, Dr. Anurag Kumar (2026); Advanced Drug Delivery System For Transungual Therapy: Current Strategies And Future Perspectives, International Journal of Research Culture Society,    ISSN(O): 2456-6683,  Volume – 10,   Issue –  6,  Available on – https://ijrcs.org/

 

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