Recent Advances in Improving the Bioavailability of Hydrophobic/Lipophilic Drugs and Their Delivery via Self-Emulsifying Formulations

Abstract

Formulations based on emulsions for enhancing hydrophobic and lipophilic drug delivery and its bioavailability have attracted a lot of interest. As potential therapeutic agents, they are integrated with inert oils, emulsions, surfactant solubility, liposomes, etc.; drug delivering systems that use emulsion formations have emerged as a unique and commercially achievable accession to override the issue of less oral bioavailability in connection with hydrophobic and lipophilic drugs. As an ideal isotropic oil mixture of surfactants and co-solvents, it self-emulsifies and forms fine oil in water emulsions when acquainted with aqueous material. As droplets rapidly pass through the stomach, fine oil promotes the vast spread of the drug all over the GI (gastrointestinal tract) and conquers the slow disintegration commonly seen in solid drug forms. The current status of advancement in technologies for drug carrying has promulgated the expansion of innovative drug carriers for the controlled release of self-emulsifying pellets, tablets, capsules, microspheres, etc., which got a boost for drug delivery usage with self-emulsification. The present review article includes various kinds of formulations based on the size of particles and excipients utilized in emulsion formation for drug delivery mechanisms and the increase in the bioavailability of lipophilic/hydrophobic drugs in the present time.

Keywords

• lipophilic drugs
• hydrophobic drugs
• emulsion