Lipid nanoceuticals: Current status and future perspective

Administration of lipophilic drugs by oral route is a challenging task due to multiple factors which include poor solubilization of a drug in the gastrointestinal tract, P-glycoprotein efflux, significant first pass elimination attributed to predisposition through cytochrome P450 enzymes, all of which result in poor vivo bioavailability. Over the recent years, research has been directed toward the design of lipid-based carrier systems for delivery of hydrophobic drugs. These formulations comprise of a suitable combination of natural lipids with surfactants, cosurfactants and cosolvents.[1]