A REVIEW ON DIFFERENT PROPERTIES AND TYPES OF A NOVEL PROMISING APPROACH FOR ENHANCING THE BIOAVAILABILITY OF POORLY WATER-SOLUBLE DRUGS

Poor aqueous solubility has been one of the major challenges in modern drug delivery as it hinders the absorption process leading in the decrease of bioavailability. As a consequence of low water solubility of drugs, low oral bioavailability is a growing challenge to the development of new pharmaceutical products. There has been a consistent increase in the number of new pharmacologically active lipophilic compounds that are poorly water-soluble. Approximately 40% of new drug candidates are lipophilic and exhibit poor water solubility. One of the popular approaches of oral bioavailability and solubility enhancement is the utilization of lipid-based drug delivery systems – self microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS). Self-micro emulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) is one of the exclusive approaches to increase bioavailability by improving solubility for the poorly aqueous soluble drug and to increase the oral absorption of highly lipophilic drugs. These systems have unique property to form oil in water emulsion under gentle agitation provided by digestive motility of the stomach and intestine. A greatest advantages of incorporating poorly soluble drugs into such formulations is their spontaneous emulsification and formation of a microemulsion in aqueous media. This review gives an overview on SMEDDS focuses on properties, components and different types of the lipid-based drug delivery system for oral use with their characteristics thus enabling a broader perspective and understanding of their present role in medicine and drug delivery.