Cubosomes: An overview

Abstract

Cubosomes are nanoparticles but instead of the solid particles, cubosomes are self-assembled liquid crystalline particles of certain surfactant with proper ratio of water with a microstructure that provides unique properties of practical interest. The discovery of cubosomes is a unique story and spans the field of food science, differential geometry, biological membranes and digestive processes. One of the most common surfactants used to make cubosomes is the monoglyceride glycerol monoolein. Bicontinuous cubic liquid crystalline phase is an optically clear, very viscous material that has a unique structure at the nanometer scale. The word bicontinuous refers to the division of the two continuous but non-intersecting aqueous regions by a lipid bilayer that is contorted into a space-filling structure. Hydrating a surfactant or polar lipid that forms cubic phase and then dispersing the solid-like phase into smaller particles usually form Cubosomes. There is a lot of excitement about the cubic phases because its unique microstructure is biologically compatible and capable of controlled release of solubilized active ingredients like drugs and proteins. © 2007 Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.