Insights on novel particulate self-assembled drug delivery beads based on partial inclusion complexes between triglycerides and cyclodextrins

Abstract

Most of the newly designed drug molecules are lipophilic in nature and often encounter erratic absorption and low bioavailability after oral administration. Finding ways to enhance the absorption and bioavailability of these lipophilic drugs is one of the major challenges that face pharmaceutical industry nowadays. In view of that, the purpose of this review is to shed some light on a novel particulate self-assembling system named “beads” than can act as a safe carrier for delivering lipophilic drugs. The beads are prepared simply by mixing oils with cyclodextrin (CD) aqueous solution in mild conditions. A unique interaction between oil components and CD molecules occurs to form in situ surface-active complexes which are prerequisites for beads formation. This review mainly focuses on the fundamentals of beads preparation through reviewing present, yet scarce, literature. The key methods used for beads characterization are discussed in details. Also, the potential mechanisms by which beads increase the bioavailability of lipophilic drugs are illustrated. Finally, the related research areas that needs to be addressed in future for optimizing this promising delivery system are briefly outlined.

Keywords:

• Beads
• cyclodextrin
• lipid-based formulation
• mineral oils
• partial inclusion complex
• soybean oil
• triglycerides

Declaration of interest

The author reports no declarations of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of this article. This review did not receive grant from any funding agency.