Transdermal hormone delivery: Strategies, application and modality selection

There is a wide range of hormonal drugs and they are effective in conditions such as diabetes, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis. The current routes of administration of hormonal drugs are mainly injection and oral, but problems such as destruction of drug components, fluctuations in blood levels, systemic side effects, and needle phobia limit their use. Transdermal drug delivery (TDD) is a new and friendly method that can improve the limitations of hormonal drugs by reducing the volume and frequency of administration and avoiding needle fear. In this review, we first introduced the hormones suitable for transdermal treatment, such as corticosteroids, sex hormones, insulin and other hormonal drugs. We have sorted out the research situation of diseases used for transdermal drug delivery and transdermal treatment of hormonal drugs since 2015, and systematically introduced the feasible strategies of TDD. This is followed by a presentation on the use of transdermal hormone delivery in contraception, diabetes treatment, atopic dermatitis treatment, psoriasis treatment and rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Finally, our views are presented on the choice of delivery method, based on delivery to superficial skin layers or to deeper tissues and blood vessels. This article may help us to understand the progress of research on transdermal hormone delivery.