Microemulsions: As drug delivery system

Abstract

Microemulsions are excellent candidates as potential drug delivery systems because of their improved drug solubilization, long shelf life, and ease of preparation and administration. The formulation of microemulsion for pharmaceutical use requires a thorough understanding of the properties, uses, and limitations of microemulsion. Three distinct microemulsions – oil external, water external and middle phase can be used for drug delivery, depending upon the type of drug delivery upon the type of drug and the site of action. In this article, Since the term ‘microemulsion’ was first coined almost fifty years ago to describe clear, isotropic, thermodynamically stable systems composed of oil, water, surfactant and cosurfactant, numerous and varied reports of the applications of microemulsions have appeared in the literature. Reports of the use of microemulsions in separation science began to appear in the literature in the early 1990’s when they were first used as mobile phases for HPLC and as carrier electrolytes for CE separations, particularly for pharmaceutical applications.