Pharmacosomes Production

Pharmacosomes are colloidal dispersions made of amphiphilic phospholipids which could be complexed with drugs via hydrogen bonds between active hydrogens and phospholipids. Pharmacosomes may exist as ultrafine vesicular, micellar, or hexagonal aggregates, depending on the chemical structure of drug-lipid complex. It is based on the principle that the drug binds covalently to a lipid where the resulting compound is the carrier and the active compound at the same time. The physicochemical properties depend on the drug as well as the lipid. They are mainly prepared by hand-shaking and ether injection method. Pharmacosomes have advantages over liposomal, transferosomal, and niosomal drug delivery systems. They minimize drug degradation and increase the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs, suitable for both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs. More importantly, the entrapment efficiency is not only high but predetermined.

• Pharmacosomes easily remove the free, unentrapped drug from the formulation.
• Since the drug is covalently linked, loss due to leakage of the drug, does not take place.
• There is no problem of drug incorporation in the body of the patient.
• Encaptured volume and drug-bilayer interactions do not influence entrapment efficiency, in case of pharmacosome.
• Pharmacosome does not affect release rate since the drug is covalently bound.
• The drug is released from pharmacosome by hydrolysis (including enzymatic).
• Due to their amphiphilic behavior, such systems allow, after medication, a multiple transfer through the lipophilic membrane system or tissue, through cellular walls piggyback endocytosis and exocytosis.

Figure 1. Forms and component of pharmacosomes (Ujjwala B, et al. Pharmacosomes: A Novel Drug Delivery System. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research & Allied Sciences.2014, 3(1): 14-20.)

Pharmacosomes Applications

Pharmacosomes can be applied widely by different routes of delivery via oral, topically, or through extravascular and intravascular routes. Since pharmacosomes could enhance the solubility for both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs in the delivery system, it provides a good approach to increase the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. There has been an advancement in the scope of this delivery system for a number of drugs used for inflammation, heart diseases, cancer, and protein delivery along with a large number of herbal drugs. Because of its amphiphilicity, new challenges and opportunities are arising for improved novel vesicular drug delivery system.

Our Pharmacosomes Featured Services

• Liposome formulation design: we customize liposomes design based on our clients’ demand by varying lipid compositions, vesicle sizes, surface charges, etc.
• Liposome encapsulation: we employ customized protocols to encapsulate drug molecules into liposome with high encapsulation efficiency.
• Liposome-drug complex analysis and characterization: we can offer comprehensive analysis assays for liposomes before and after encapsulation, which includes visual appearance, size distribution, stability, Zeta potential, lamellarity, entrapment efficiency, and release rate.

Quotations and Ordering

References:
1. P. H. Sharma, P. V. Powar, S. S. Sharma. Pharmacosomes: A novel drug delivery system. The Pharma Innovation Journal. 2014, 3(10): 94-100.
2. Ujjwala B, et al. Pharmacosomes: A Novel Drug Delivery System. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research & Allied Sciences.2014, 3(1): 14-20.
3. Tanu G, Ashwini S. R, Meenakshi C. Pharmacosomes: opening new doors for drug delivery. International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2012, 4:25-29.
4. De pintu kumar, De arnab, pharmacosomes: a potential vascular drug delivery system. International research journal of pharmacy. 2012,102-105.