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Preparation and Characterization of Individual and Multi-drug Loaded Physically Entrapped Polymeric Micelles
Published on: August 28, 2015
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Microemulsion utility in pharmaceuticals: Implications for multi-drug delivery.
Shannon P Callender1, Jessica A Mathews1, Katherine Kobernyk1
1School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics
|May 13, 2017
Summary
Microemulsions offer stable, transparent systems for drug delivery, primarily for lipophilic drugs via oral or topical routes. Formulation often relies on trial-and-error, highlighting a need for improved characterization methods.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Science
- Colloid Science
- Materials Science
Background:
- Emulsion technology is widely used in pharmaceuticals.
- Microemulsions are thermodynamically stable, optically transparent colloidal systems (10-100nm).
- They form spontaneously from oil, water, and emulsifier.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively review literature on microemulsions for drug delivery.
- To analyze advantages, disadvantages, and challenges in multi-drug delivery using microemulsions.
- To identify trends in microemulsion drug delivery research from 2011-2016.
Main Methods:
- Literature screening of 431 publications (Jan 2011-Apr 2016) on microemulsion drug delivery.
- Analysis based on microemulsion type, drug classification, and surfactant types.
- Review of disease targets and geographical distribution of research.
Main Results:
- Microemulsions are predominantly used for lipophilic drug delivery (79.4%).
- Oil-in-water microemulsions and non-ionic surfactants are most common (90%).
- Oral and topical administration are primary routes; cancer is the main disease target.
Conclusions:
- Microemulsion formulation is largely empirical, despite extensive research.
- Enhanced characterization (interfacial tension, droplet size, etc.) can improve predictability.
- Research is concentrated in China and India, indicating opportunities elsewhere.
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