Liposphere: A Versatile Controlled Release Carrier for Hydrophobic Drugs

Researchers have been inventing new drugs since time immemorial. Of late it is established that the development of new drugs alone is not sufficient to ensure progress in drug therapy. The missing link is a potential strategy. It involves the apt selection of drug carrier systems. Lipid particles based on triglycerides, waxes or fatty acids as matrix lipids are being intensively investigated as potential carrier systems, in particular for lipophilic substances. The lipospheres system is a newly introduced lipid-based carrier system developed for parenteral and topical delivery of drugs. Lipospheres consist of water-dispersible solid microparticles of particle size between 0.2–500 μm in diameter and composed of a solid hydrophobic fat core stabilized by one monolayer of phospholipid molecules embedded in their surface. A new dimension in this area is delivery of peptides and oral delivery of drugs. The liposphere carrier system has several advantages over other delivery systems, including emulsions, liposomes and microspheres, such as: better physical stability, low cost of ingredients, ease of preparation and scale-up, high dispersibility in an aqueous medium, high entrapment of hydrophobic drugs, controlled particle size and extended release of entrapped drug.

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