Research Progress on Graphene Oxide Biomaterials in Transdermal Drug Delivery System

With the high-speed growing demands for biomedical materials, graphene oxide(GO) and its functional derivatives show broad application prospects in the system of drug delivery, tumor therapy and nanobiology. GO has excellent hydrophilicity and easily modified surface properties, due to a large content of oxygen-containing functional groups on the GO surface. Meanwhile, the huge specific surface areas and unique π-electronic structures give GO adhesion and adsorption capacities. By means of π-π stacking, electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic interaction or covalent bonding, therapeutic agents can be effectively combined with GO to construct drug delivery systems. GO plays an important role in transdermal drug delivery systems due to their biocompatibility, antibacterial activity, and pro-wound healing activity. As a novel drug delivery system, GO nanomaterials can achieve targeted drug delivery, accumulate drug concentrations at the focal site, and improve drug delivery efficiency. Utilizing the promoting skin regeneration and wound healing properties of GO, several antibacterial materials and wound dressings are prepared for wound treatment. In addition, the special far-infrared resonance effect and electrothermal effect of GO result in heat and electric transfer. In other words, graphene oxide could control and promote transdermal absorption efficiency upon the stimuli of heat and electric. GO is expected to break through the limitation of low transdermal absorption rates in the transdermal drug delivery systems and achieve the purpose of enhancing the transdermal permeability of target molecules (especially macromolecules): ultimately improving bioavailability in vivo. This paper will introduce the structures, physicochemical properties, and biological activities of graphene oxide, summarize its application in transdermal drug delivery systems such as drug carriers, antibacterial materials, wound dressings and transdermal enhancers, and prospect its application in clinical medicine. We hope to provide new ideas and different point of views for the biomedical research of graphene oxide and derivatives. GO will become a representative biomaterial in the field of precision medicine and play a key role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.