Applications of microemulsion based drug delivery system

The use of microemulsions as drug delivery vehicle has been an exciting and attractive area of research because of its many potential and extraordinary benefits. Microemulsions offer an interesting and potentially quite powerful alternative carrier system for drug delivery because of their high solubilization capacity, transparency, thermodynamic stability, ease of preparation, and high diffusion and absorption rates when compared to solvent without the surfactant system. The oral efficacy of microemulsion has already been proved by cyclosporine formulation (Neoral), but apart from oral route, microemulsions for other routes like dermal, transdermal, ocular, vaginal, rectal, buccal, periodontal, parenteral, and nasal delivery routes have also been developed. The present review focuses on various applications of microemulsions through different above mentioned routes and also gives idea about new application of micro emulsion as oral solid dosage form, as microreactors and as blood substitute.