ABOUT AUTHOR
Lokendra Singh Nirwan*
Maharishi Arvind Institute of Pharmacy, Jaipur-302020, Rajasthan, India
*E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
Ethosomes are the ethanolic phospholipid vesicles which are used mainly for transdermal delivery of drugs. Ethosomes are soft, malleable vesicles composed mainly of phospholipids, ethanol (relatively high concentration) and water. These “soft vesicles” represents novel vesicular carrier for enhanced delivery to/through skin. The size of Ethosomes vesicles can be modulated from tens of nanometers to microns. Ethosomes have higher penetration rate through the skin as compared to liposomes hence these can be used widely in place of liposomes. Ethosomes have become an area of research interest, because of its enhanced skin permeation, improved drug delivery, increased drug entrapment efficiency etc. Ethosomes are provides a number of important benefits including improving the drug’s efficacy, enhancing patient compliance and comfort and reducing the total cost of treatment. This review mainly focus on the various aspects of ethosomes including their mechanism of penetration, preparation, composition, characterization, advantages, application and marketed product of ethosomes. The Ethosomes were found to be suitable for various applications within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, veterinary, cosmetic, and nutraceutical markets.
Key words: Ethosomes, Phospholipid Vesicles, Penetration, Ethanol, Transdermal drug delivery