Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a complex pathogenesis. Initially affecting the skin, it may also involve the nails and joints, often requiring lifelong medication. Despite recent advances in understanding its pathogenesis, the chronic and recurrent nature of psoriasis poses ongoing challenges for long-term drug management. While natural medicines offer higher safety profiles and fewer side effects compared to synthetic drugs, their development as clinical candidates for psoriasis is constrained by low bioavailability, limited solubility, poor permeability, and instability. For instance, specific nanocarriers have been shown to significantly improve therapeutic outcomes; curcumin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (50 nm) demonstrated a 48.23±0.77% drug loading capacity with over 85% release within 72 hours, while hyaluronic acid-modified ethosomes increased skin retention by 2.3-fold compared to conventional formulations in preclinical models. This paper systematically reviews the structure and advantages of nanocarrier systems, including liposomes, nanoparticles, nanofibers, micelles, nanogels, and nanoemulsions. It focuses on the preparation, preclinical, and clinical progress of nanocarriers for key natural bioactive compounds, including resveratrol, curcumin, oleuropein, psoralen, natural oils, and complex natural mixtures. We aim to highlight the potential of nanotechnology-based on natural drugs as an alternative strategy to improve the therapeutic efficacy of psoriasis while reducing side effects.
Wang et al. (2026) studied this question.