Nanoemulsion: A Pharmaceutical Review

Abstract

Shah P, Bhalodia D, Shelat P

Nanoemulsions are submicron sized emulsions that are under extensive investigation as drug carriers for improving the delivery of therapeutic agents. They are by far the most advanced nanoparticle systems for the systemic delivery of biologically active agents for controlled drug delivery and targeting. Nanoemulsions are the thermodynamically stable isotropic system in which two immiscible liquid (water and oil) are mixed to form a single phase by means of an appropriate surfactants or its mix with a droplet diameter approximately in the range of 0.5-100 um. Nanoemulsion droplet sizes fall typically in the range of 20-200 nm and show narrow size distributions. Nanoemulsion show great promise for the future of cosmetics, diagnostics, drug therapies, and biotechnologies. In this review, the attention is focused to give brief regarding nanoemulsion formulation aspect, method of preparation, characterization techniques with special emphasis on various applications of nanoemulsion in different areas such as in cancer treatment, in drug targeting, as a mucosal vaccine, as a vehicle for transdermal drug delivery and lipophilic drug, as a self-nanoemulsifying and solid self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system, etc.