{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,27]],"date-time":"2026-05-27T19:24:06Z","timestamp":1779909846971,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,26]],"date-time":"2025-11-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764115200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmaceutics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Isoconazole nitrate (ISN), an antifungal agent that inhibits ergosterol synthesis by blocking lanosterol 14\u03b1-demethylation, is widely used to treat candidiasis, and improving its skin retention and permeability can enhance its therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, we developed an ISN nanoparticle (ISN-NP) gel by wet-bead milling in the presence of methylcellulose (MC). Methods: These ISN nanoparticles were incorporated into a carboxypolymethylene hydrogel (Carbopol). The ISN concentration was measured using HPLC, and Wistar rats and Candida albicans were used to evaluate skin absorption and antifungal activity, respectively. Results: The ISN-NP gel exhibited a particle size distribution ranging from 60 to 220 nm, with the nanoparticles remaining stable. In addition, the ISN-NP gel demonstrated superior antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The Carbopol gel maintained appropriate viscosity and physical stability, and the ISN nanoparticles were released from the gel. Compared with microparticle-based gels (ISN-MP gels), the ISN-NP gel showed significantly enhanced drug release and transdermal permeation, with 1.54- and 1.7-fold increases, respectively. Conclusions: These findings indicate that incorporating ISN nanoparticles (nanocrystalline ISN) into a Carbopol-based gel matrix provides a promising strategy to enhance the topical delivery of this poorly water-soluble antifungal drug. Overall, this nanogel system represents a valuable platform for transdermal delivery in clinical applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmaceutics17121519","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,26]],"date-time":"2025-11-26T11:43:22Z","timestamp":1764157402000},"page":"1519","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Dermal Formulation Incorporating Isoconazole Nitrate Nanoparticles Offers High Absorption into Skin and Antimicrobial Effect Against Candida albicans"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Ayako","family":"Harada","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 1-8-1 Tatsuminishi, Ikuno-ku, Osaka 544-8666, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rie","family":"Tanaka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka 577-8502, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hiroko","family":"Otake","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka 577-8502, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Masanori","family":"Yoshimura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 1-8-1 Tatsuminishi, Ikuno-ku, Osaka 544-8666, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tae","family":"Wada","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 1-8-1 Tatsuminishi, Ikuno-ku, Osaka 544-8666, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tohru","family":"Nagahama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"ROHTO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 1-8-1 Tatsuminishi, Ikuno-ku, Osaka 544-8666, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1266-038X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Noriaki","family":"Nagai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka 577-8502, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"404","DOI":"10.5694\/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01313.x","article-title":"Antifungal agents","volume":"187","author":"Chen","year":"2007","journal-title":"Med. 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