An updated review on pharmacosomes, a vesicular drug delivery system

Novel drug delivery system mainly consents about achieving the targeted concentration to release the drug at targeted site by using carrier system, altering the structure and microenvironment around the drug. Especially drugs which are having narrow therapeutic window are difficult to formulate, with the advantage of novel drug delivery systems like particulate, polymeric carrier, macromolecular and cellular carriers. They are used to reduce complications as well as release the drug in a determined fusion at targeted site. In vesicular drug delivery system drug binds covalently to the lipid molecule by which the drug release is in a controlled manner and also drugs which are of hydrophilic or lipophilic nature can be delivered by using vesicular drug delivery systems. The release of drug from the vesicles depends on the physicochemical properties of both the drug and carrier. Vesicular drug delivery includes liposomes, niososmes, transferosomes, pharmacosomes, electrosomes, ethosomes etc. Of all these drug delivery systems pharmacosomes are having more advantages like no leakage or loss of drug, stability, high entrapment efficiency etc, pharmacosomes may be hexagonal aggregates , ultrafine vesicular and micellar forms. Both synthetic and natural drugs which are facing difficulties like low solubility and low permeability can be effectively formulated and can achieve required pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters. Pharmacosomes are prepared by hand shaking method, ether injection, solvent evaporation method, anhydrous co-solvent lyophilyzation, supercritical fluid approach and other alternative methods they are characterized by complex determination, surface morphology, drug entrapment, solubility, drug lipid compatibility, crystal state measurement, dissolution studies and in vitro drug release rate. Keywords: Pharmacosomes, covalently, vesicular drug delivery system, hexagonal aggregates, micellar, ultrafine