Researchers found that papain (an enzyme that breaks down excess collagen) can penetrate the skin's outer barrier when delivered via transferosomes—a special nano-delivery system—but doesn't make it through full-thickness skin. When papain was wrapped in transferosomes or liposomes rather than applied as a plain solution, it deposited in the epidermis/dermis without damaging healthy skin cells, whereas papain alone caused noticeable skin degradation.

Scientists created papain-loaded liposomes and transferosomes (tiny fat-based delivery vehicles), then tested how well they could penetrate different skin models—including shed snake skin and rat skin—to mimic real-world absorption. They also exposed rat skin samples to each formulation and examined the damage under a microscope.

Funding not disclosed in abstract