NANOSTRUCTURED LIPID CARRIER: THE ADVANCED LIPID CARRIERS

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and easily accessible. It’s potential as an alternative route for administering drugs for both systemic and local effects has attracted considerable interest. Most of the topical medications which are applied on the skin or mucous membrane to treat ailments include a wide range of creams, foams, gels, lotions, ointments, eye drops, ear drops, etc. Topical drug delivery provides a convenient and effective system for the treatment of local pathological conditions (dermal drug delivery) or as the site for systemic drug administration (transdermal drug delivery). Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs) are drug-delivery systems composed of both solid and liquid lipids as a core matrix. It has been shown that NLCs exhibit several advantages for drug therapy over conventional carriers including increased solubility and stability, improved permeability and bioavailability, reduced adverse effects, prolonged half-life, and tissue-targeted delivery. NLCs have attracted expanding scientific and commercial vigilance in the last couple of years as alternate carriers for the pharmaceuticals. A new generation of NLCs consisting of a lipid matrix with a special nanostructure has been developed. This nanostructure improves drug loading and firmly incorporates the drug preventing loss during storage. The present review provides insights into characteristics of NLCs as colloidal carriers including production techniques, stabilization methods, formulations, and pharmaceutical applications of NLC. The potential of NLCs to be used for various routes of administration is also highlighted.