Nanoemulsion: A Novel Drug Delivery Approach for Enhancement of Bioavailability

Abstract

Background: Poor bioavailability and solubility of drugs in aqueous phase are the most important problems of newly developed chemical entities that can be improved by nanoemulsion.

Objectives: BCS class II and IV which are poorly soluble in water demonstrate various problems in conventional dosage forms. For the improvement of solubility, bioavailability and getting the best therapeutic effect of poorly soluble drugs nanoemulsion is the best solution.

Methods: Nanoemulsion are thermodynamically unstable isotropic system with droplet size 1-100 nm in which two immiscible fluids are combined together to form one phase by using an emulsifying agent. Nanoemulsion can be designed to promote the bioavailability of API by trapping them inside.

Results: Nanoemulsion can be developed in many dosage forms such as oral, parenteral, topical, ophthalmic dosage form in large scale using common operation at a very low cost. Large range of lipophilic drugs can be easily incorporated in nanoemulsion.

Conclusion: In this review, attention is focused on the type of nanoemulsions, their advantages over other dosage form, method for their preparation, characterization, applications and patents in various fields.

Keywords: Nanoemulsion; bioavailability; emulsification methods; isotropic system; nanoemulsion; solubility enhancement.