In this study, the potential of lecithin/chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) as colloidal nanosystem for transdermal melatonin delivery was investigated. Mean diameter and zeta-potential of NPs differing in lecithin type (Lipoid S45 and S100) and chitosan content ranged between 113.7 and 331.5 nm and 4.6 and 31.2 mV, respectively. Melatonin loadings were up to 7.2%. The potential of lecithin/chitosan NPs to enhance transdermal melatonin delivery was investigated by determining the drug flux across dermatomed porcine skin and its skin deposition. Lecithin/chitosan NPs provided 1.3-2.3-fold higher flux compared to melatonin solution. The highest flux, 9.0 +/- 0.21 mu g/cm(2)/h, was observed for S45 lecithin/chitosan NPs with lecithin/chitosan weight ratio of 20:1. NP possible cytotoxicity in vitro was evaluated using human skin keratinocytes and fibroblasts. It was demonstrated that lecithin/chitosan NPs can be applied to skin cells at concentrations up to 200 mu g/mL without inducing plasma membrane damage or cell viability decrease.