Background: Fluoroquinolones, available in topical and oral formulations, are used to manage bacterial skin and soft tissue infections, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, atypical mycobacteria, and select multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms. Their excellent tissue penetration, bactericidal activity, and convenient dosing make them effective for certain skin and soft tissue infections. However, their use is limited by potential safety concerns, including tendinopathy (odds ratio up to 9.1 in corticosteroid users), QT interval prolongation with risk of torsades de pointes, phototoxicity, and rising antimicrobial resistance. Methods: A literature search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted for articles from January 1985 to April 2025 with the search terms (quinolone OR fluoroquinolone) AND (dermatology OR “skin and soft tissue infection” OR “skin structure infection”). Abstracts and presentations were excluded. A Google search used the same terms for articles from government regulatory agencies. Results: This review provides practical guidance on the clinical use of topical and oral fluoroquinolones in dermatology. Delafloxacin demonstrated over 90% cure rates in trials for complicated skin infections. However, serious safety concerns remain, including a ninefold increase in tendinopathy risk among older adults on corticosteroids and corrected QT intervals exceeding 500 milliseconds in high-risk patients. Phototoxicity varies, with agents like sparfloxacin linked to heightened ultraviolet sensitivity. Resistance to ciprofloxacin exceeds 20 percent in Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa in some populations. Culture-based prescribing, shorter treatment courses, and preference for topical treatments can reduce risk and preserve efficacy. Conclusions: Fluoroquinolones remain clinically useful in dermatology when prescribed selectively. Their appropriate use requires careful attention to patient risk factors along with their evolving resistance patterns and ongoing stewardship efforts.
Cell-mediated drug delivery systems represent a promising frontier in dermatologic therapy by offering enhanced targeting precision, prolonged drug release, and reduced systemic toxicity. These systems leverage the intrinsic properties of immune cells, stem cells, and skin-resident cells to migrate toward inflamed or diseased skin and deliver therapeutic agents in a controlled and biocompatible manner. This review explores the mechanistic foundations of cell-mediated delivery, including chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and immune modulation, and examines current applications in inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, cutaneous malignancies such as melanoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and chronic wound healing. Engineering approaches such as cell surface modification, exosome loading, and integration with gene editing technologies are also discussed. Finally, we highlight translational challenges related to immunogenicity, manufacturing scalability, and regulatory considerations, and propose future directions for clinical adoption in dermatology. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and outlines the potential for cell-based delivery systems to transform the treatment of chronic and refractory skin diseases.
7 January 2025 in Archives of Dermatological Research