Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

Vitiligo is a chronic depigmenting skin disorder with significant psychosocial and clinical impact. It is primarily caused by oxidative stress, autoimmunity, and melanocyte dysfunction, leading to characteristic hypopigmented patches. Current therapeutic strategies, including corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, phototherapy, and JAK inhibitors, often demonstrate variable efficacy, frequent relapses, and notable adverse effects. Herbal medicines, due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing potential, are emerging as promising complementary therapies. Tridax procumbens (Asteraceae), a traditional medicinal herb, contains bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, carotenoids, alkaloids, and tannins with proven pharmacological activities relevant to Vitiligo. Nanoemulsion technology, characterized by nanoscale droplet size, improved solubility, enhanced skin permeation, and increased stability, offers a superior delivery system for herbal phytoconstituents in dermatological applications.
This review critically appraises the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of Tridax procumbens, explores the principles of herbal nanoemulsions, and evaluates their therapeutic relevance to Vitiligo. Literature reveals multiple studies on Tridax antioxidant and wound-healing properties and its incorporation into nanoparticles and nanoemulsions for dermatological purposes. However, no direct study has yet examined Tridax procumbens nanoemulsion in Vitiligo, highlighting a crucial research gap. The review concludes with future perspectives emphasizing preclinical melanocyte studies, ex vivo permeation assays, and controlled clinical trials.