Flexible polymerosomes—An alternative vehicle for topical delivery

Self-assembled vesicles of poly(caprolactone)–poly(ethylene glycol)–poly(caprolactone) co-polymer of 122 ± 20 nm were prepared by solvent evaporation method and analyzed morphologically by TEM and AFM. Transmission electron micrographs showed the presence of double-walled deformable structures with average wall thickness of 25 nm. AFM depicted somewhat flattened tops resembling a ‘pancake’ further confirming the flexibility of the nanocarriers. Permeation studies of fluorescently labelled vesicles in cadaver epidermis confirmed their presence across the stratum corneum within 2 h of application and accumulation in the deeper layers thereafter. The flexible nature of these nanosystems makes them an efficient alternative to liposomes for targeting melanomas and basal cell carcinomas.