NIOSOME AS A NOVEL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM-REVIEW

Abstract

Design and development of novel drug delivery system (NDDS) has two rudiments. It should deliver the drug at a rate directed by the needs of the body during the period of treatment and second it should release therapeutically effective amount of drug at the target site. The concept of drug targeting or site specific drug delivery was introduced first time by Paul Ehrlich in 1909.Conventional dosage forms are unable to meet these requisites. Niosomes are microscopic in size, unilamellar or multilamellar structure, essentially non-ionic surfactant-based vesicles in which an aqueous solution of solute is entirely enclosed by a membrane resulting from the organization of surfactant macromolecules as bilayer. Niosomes are now widely utilized as an alternative to liposome and serve as a better option for drug delivery as compared to liposome due to several factor like stability, cost etc. They improve the therapeutic performance of the drug molecules by delayed clearance from the circulation, defending the drug from biological environment and restricting effects to target cells. This review article focuses on the recent advances in niosomal drug delivery, potential advantages over other delivery systems, preparation methods, methods of characterization, applications and the current research in the field of niosomes.