{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T11:19:36Z","timestamp":1785410376968,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":109,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,28]],"date-time":"2026-06-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782604800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002383","name":"King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ORF-2026-1710"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ORF-2026-1710"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002383","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["ORF-2026-1710"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ORF-2026-1710"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02f81g417","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmaceutics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Antibiotics are commonly used for acne treatment. However, increasing bacterial resistance has prompted interest in natural antimicrobial agents, such as thymol (THY), as alternative therapies. This study investigated the effectiveness of Leciplex cationic nanovesicles encapsulating thymol (LPX-THY) as a promising topical acne management strategy. Methods: Leciplex nanovesicles were assembled using soy phosphatidylcholine (SPC) and cationic surfactants and characterized in terms of particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, morphology, in vitro release, and ex vivo skin permeation. The optimized formulation was subsequently incorporated into Carbopol\/HPMC gel base and evaluated in terms of viscosity, in vitro release, ex vivo skin permeation, in vitro antimicrobial study, and in vivo assessment in a rat model. Results: Optimal THY-LPX nanovesicles made of SPC and Dimethyldidodecylammonium bromide DDAB in a 1:1 molar ratio showed circular outline with particle size, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency of 187.7 \u00b1 1.78 nm, 36.97 \u00b10.21 mV, and 60.5 \u00b1 2.3%, respectively. THY-LPX gel demonstrated minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) at a concentration of 156.25 \u00b5g\u00b7mL\u22121 against Staphylococcus aureus, a clear absence of biofilm coating under SEM, and substantial red fluorescence, indicating reduction in viable bacteria under a confocal laser microscope. In vivo study showed enhanced anti-inflammatory effect evidenced by substantial ear skin thickness reduction; 72.7% for THY-LPX gel-treated rats compared to 41.7% and 20% for THY gel and blank LPX gel-treated groups, respectively. Histopathological investigation further confirmed reduced inflammatory response in rats treated with optimized THY-LPX gel. Conclusions: The developed THY-LPX gel serves as a potential topical delivery platform of THY for acne therapy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmaceutics18070795","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T08:26:15Z","timestamp":1782807975000},"page":"795","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Leciplex Nanocarriers: An Optimized Platform for Thymol Delivery in Acne Management"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3312-8540","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Soha","family":"Elsalhy","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology (MUST), Giza 12585, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Norhan","family":"Tantawy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Capital University, Formerly Helwan University, Cairo P.O. Box 11795, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eman E.","family":"El Naggar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Horus University, New Damietta 34518, Egypt"},{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura National University, Gamasa 7731168, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6028-8881","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wesam E.","family":"Gawad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, 6th of October City 12566, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3983-868X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amira M.","family":"Badr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11415, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Reem T.","family":"Atawia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, OK 73096, USA"},{"name":"Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0006-443X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jihad","family":"Mahmoud Alsofany","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32897, Menoufia, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"101578","article-title":"Acne vulgaris: A review of the pathophysiology, treatment, and recent nanotechnology based advances","volume":"36","author":"Vasam","year":"2023","journal-title":"Biochem. 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