Modified Chitosan for Highly Efficient Non-Invasive Transdermal Delivery of Catalase to Repair and Prevent Skin Photodamages

Oxidative stress induced by excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a significant role in the onset and progression of numerous skin disorders, necessitating effective antioxidant defenses to prevent and repair oxidative damage. However, existing systemic antioxidant therapies for skin diseases often fall short in efficiently delivering antioxidants to the diseased lesions. In this study, a novel non-invasive transdermal delivery platform utilizing chitosan grafted with salcaprozate sodium (SCS) is designed for highly efficient delivery of biomolecular enzymes, such as catalase (CAT). After self-assembling with catalase, the obtained SCS-CAT nanocomplexes if topically applied in a cream demonstrate highly efficient skin penetration and accumulation. Owing to the ability of CAT to effectively scavenge ROS, topically applied SCS-CAT nanocomplexes enable remarkable repair and protection effects against ultraviolet radiation B (UVB)-induced skin photodamages by inhibiting cell apoptosis and inflammation. Moreover, such SCS-CAT delivery platform holds promise for long-term skin care applications due to its great biocompatibility. This research presents a simple yet transformative platform for the intradermal delivery of biological enzymes, presenting a promising avenue for treating various inflammatory skin disorders.