Azelaic Acid Gets a Nanofiber Delivery System, and Early Data Look Promising

Azelaic acid already has a long track record as a topical treatment for acne and hyperpigmentation, working through several documented mechanisms. According to a mechanism review indexed on PubMed, the compound acts as a competitive inhibitor of mitochondrial oxidoreductases and of 5 alpha-reductase, which blocks the conversion of testosterone to a more potent androgen implicated in sebum production. The same review notes bacteriostatic activity against both aerobic and anaerobic organisms, including the acne-associated bacterium now classified as Cutibacterium acnes.

A newly published study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, authored by Niki Yadegari, Fatemeh Majdi, Nooshafarin Amani, Nasrin Samadi, Farid Abedin Dorkoush, and Hamid Akbari Javar, takes that established chemistry and asks a formulation question rather than a mechanism one: can azelaic acid be delivered more effectively through a nanofiber scaffold instead of a conventional cream or gel.

The team used electrospinning, a process that draws polymer solutions into ultrafine fibers under an electric field, to produce scaffolds from chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol (CS/PVA) loaded with azelaic acid. Testing multiple ratios, they identified a combination of 9% PVA, 2% chitosan, and either 50% or 70% azelaic acid as producing uniform, bead-free fibers with what the authors describe as suitable physical and mechanical properties.

Drug release testing, conducted through an immersion method, showed the 70% azelaic acid formulation releasing approximately 89% of the drug within 24 hours, a sustained profile that the researchers argue could improve on the residence time limitations of standard topical formulations. Disk diffusion testing against Cutibacterium acnes also showed measurable antimicrobial activity for the loaded scaffolds, and the fibers held up under accelerated stability testing.

This kind of chitosan/PVA nanofiber platform has precedent outside acne care. A separate study published in a paper on PMC examining chitosan/PVA electrospun fibers for wound healing found that a 50/50 volumetric ratio of the two polymers produced the nanofibrous structure most similar to natural tissue, suggesting the same materials researchers are now applying to acne treatment have already been optimized in adjacent wound-care contexts.

The Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology paper stops short of claiming clinical benefit. Its authors selected the 70% azelaic acid formulation as their lead candidate for further preclinical work, but they are explicit that the current results come from in vitro testing alone. Morphology under scanning electron microscopy, disk diffusion zones, and immersion-based release curves establish that the scaffold behaves as intended in a lab setting. Whether it improves acne outcomes in actual skin, and whether it is better tolerated than existing azelaic acid gels, remains an open question the authors flag explicitly, writing that in vivo and clinical studies are needed to evaluate its therapeutic efficacy and safety.