Nanoemulsions for drug delivery through different routes

Utilising nanoemulsions as vehicles for carrying active pharmaceutical ingredients isemerging as a promising approach for the latters’ targeted delivery. For drug molecules to beclinically effective, their administration by a route, which provides a proper channel forthem to reach their target, is of prime importance. Further, they also need to be suitablyprotected in the biological milieu till they are delivered to the required site of action.Nanoemulsions with a mean droplet diameter of about 20-200 nm are extremely versatile inthis regard. Due to their characteristic size and properties, which includes kinetic stability,they are very effective in enveloping and/or solubilising the drugs and successfullychaperoning them towards suitable targets. They also cause the drugs to be released incontrolled and sustained modes, thereby reducing drug toxicity and dumping. Additionally,depending on the physiochemical properties of the drugs, nanoemulsions can be structurallyengineered to maximize their solubilisation as per the required route of delivery, which isheavily dependent on the drug structure. Effective targeting can be achieved byincorporating suitable homing molecules on their surface, which in turn recognize and bindto specific receptors on the target molecules. This review focuses on the different routes bywhich drug loaded nanoemulsions can be administered, thus throwing light on theversatility of these vehicles for therapeutic and other related applications.Key words: Nanoemulsions, therapeutics, oral route, parenteral delivery