Abstract

A NOVEL APPROACH FOR VESICULAR DELIVERY OF PHYTOMEDICINES USING PHYTOSOMES

Sruthy S. Nair*, Anuroop U. P., Ajith Babu T. K. and Jiji Jose

Abstract

Phytomedicines, complex chemical mixtures prepared from plants, have been used for health maintenance since ancient times. Over the past century, chemical and pharmaceutical science established the compositions, biological activities and health giving benefits of numerous plant extracts. But often when individual components were separated from the whole there was loss of activity—the natural ingredient synergy became lost. And also many phytomedicines are limited in their effectiveness because they are poorly absorbed when taken orally. Phytosome is a newly introduced patented technology developed to incorporate standardized plant extracts or water soluble phytoconstituents into phospholipids to produce lipid compatible molecular complexes, and so vastly improve their absorption and bioavailability. Phytosomes are novel phospholipid based drug delivery system, which offer improved bioavailability of hydrophilic flavonoids and other similar compounds through the skin or gastrointestinal tract. They are better able to transition from a hydrophilic environment into the lipid‐friendly environment of the enterocyte cell membrane and from there into the cell, finally reaching the blood. They have many distinctive advantages over other conventional formulations. The formulation methodology for phytosome is simple and can be easily upgraded to a commercial scale. The characterization methodologies and analytical techniques are well established for this type of novel formulation. Many patents are already approved for innovative formulations, processes and applications of phytosomes.

Keywords: Phytosomes, Phytomedicines, Phospholipids, Bioavailability.