Karen de Oliveira Araujo

Ms. Karen de Oliveira Araujo

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
15 August 2025 in Pharmaceutics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
SMSheila Porto de Matos
Sheila Porto de Matos
KAKaren de Oliveira Araujo
Karen de Oliveira Araujo
TKTainá Kreutz
Tainá Kreutz
Valdir Florencio Veiga-JuniorValdir Florencio Veiga-Junior
Valdir Florencio Veiga-Junior
HTHelder Teixeira
Helder Teixeira
Letícia   KoesterLetícia Koester
Letícia Koester
Ungual disorders can impact quality of life, with onychomycosis and nail psoriasis being the most prevalent disorders among the general population. In humans, the main functions of the nail apparatus comprise protection against trauma, improvement of tactile sensations, and allowing precision gripping. In order to perform such functions, the nail plate has a hard structure formed by dead keratinized corneocytes tightly bound to each other, giving the nail plate a “barrier-like” character. Due to this property of the nail plate, drug delivery to the region is hindered, making the treatment of ungual disorders difficult, either by systemic or topical drug administration. Many strategies have been developed in the last few decades in an attempt to increase the bioavailability of drugs in the nail. Interest in the employment of nanostructured drug delivery systems aiming to increase the bioavailability of drugs in the nail plate upon topical administration has increased. Moreover, the association of the nanotechnological approaches with other methods may be a beneficial strategy when aiming to increase drug permeation through the nail barrier. In this sense, the present review has the intention of presenting the panorama of the current technological development of nanostructured systems designed for the local treatment of ungual disorders. Through this extensive literature review, it was possible to recognize, among the studies, a lack of standardization regarding the methodology of nail permeation assessment, which imposes an obstacle to comparison.