Development and characterisation of supramolecular autovectoring system for selective drug delivery

Supramolecules since ages have been characterised as self-associating systems emanating the properties directly related to the mode of molecular association. Similar to supramolecules, liquid crystals may also be considered as an associated system. The liquid crystals are defined as the state of matter with the characterstic order of the crystal and the mobility of liquid. The system has been compared to the transporting form of cholesterol in body. The present study reports autovectoring potentials of the drug liquid crystals using diclofenac diethylammonium (DD) as a model. The drug based liquid crystals of DD were prepared employing temperature induced transformation of isotropic form to the liquid crystal form. The prepared liquid crystal systems were incubated with 1% phosphatidylcholine in order to stabilise the surface and restrict it into the liquid crystalline state. The system was characterised for viscosity variation, X-ray diffraction pattern, partitioning behaviour and in vitro diffusion profile. In vivo vectorising potential of the developed system was evaluated using rats as test animal and studying for the organ level distribution and drug compartmentalisation. The system exhibited satisfactory vecterisation as significant amount of administered dose was localised selectively in liver.