Organogels as Matrices for Controlled Drug Delivery: A Review on the Current State

Abstract

Over the last two decades, organogels have found tremendous use in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics industries with notable developments as drug delivery matrices and trans and saturated fat replacers in processed foods. The functionality of organogels benefits from their ease of preparation, cost effectiveness, and ability to contain both hydrophilic and lipophilic constituents. This review provides thorough insight into different organogelators, their mechanisms of organogel formation, various characterization techniques and their biocompatibility when administered in vivo. Finally, a special treatise is given on the applications of organogels as controlled drug delivery vehicles for topical, dermal/transdermal, parenteral, oral, and nasal routes. In situ forming organogels and their potential for tailored release of incorporated active ingredients are also discussed.

Keywords:

• Biocompatibility
• Biopolymers
• Controlled drug delivery
• Organogelators
• Organogels

Acknowledgment

The first and second authors acknowledge the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, India for providing the financial support subsidizing their Ph.D. programs. The funds leveraged from the project (BT/PR14282/PID/06/598/2010) sanctioned by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India is hereby acknowledged.