Abstract

NIOSOMES- A REVIEW OF CURRENT STATUS AND APPLICATION

Swarnali Goswami* and Dr. Dharampal Pathak

ABSTRACT

Niosomes are a bilayered non-toxic, non-immunogenic nanoparticular delivery system, which is being exploited extensively for drug delivery. Owing to its cost-effectiveness and easy manufacturing processing, niosomes are garnering attention as a coveted dug carrier. Main constituents of a niosomes are cholesterol and a non-ionic surfactant, although several additives like charged molecule (Solulan C24) can be added to modify the surface charge of the particle and enhance its stability. There are various methods of manufacturing niosomes like thin film hydration, microfluidization, sonication, bubble method to name a few. The fact that niosomes are amphiphillic molecules make them a versatile drug carrier as they can entrap both hydrophilic and lipophillic drugs. Applications of niosomes in the pharmaceutical industry are many, some of the most important ones being as cosmoceuticals, gene delivery carriers, carriers for vaccine delivery and also in medical imaging. In this review an effeort has been made to document the key concepts relating to niosomes an the advances that have been made in terms of research in the field of niosomal drug delivery.

Keywords: niosomes, nanoparticles, cholesterol, carrier, non-ionic, vesicles.