Abstract

INVASOMES: A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THEIR DESIGN AND APPLICATIONS

Nallajeru Mounika*, M. Gayatri Ramya, Somavarapu Meghana and A. Rajesh

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Abstract

The transdermal route serves as a crucial pathway for delivering localized or systemic medications. Recognizing the skin's significance as a vital organ, it is imperative to develop effective strategies for drug delivery through this route. Invasomes represent a novel vesicular system that has shown superior transdermal penetration compared to traditional liposomes. Invasomes are novel elastic phospholipid vesicles contains phosphatidylcholine, ethanol and one or mixture of terpenes. Terpenes has an ability to increase percutaneous penetration. Their penetration-enhancing activity is through the disruption of the stratum corneum lipids, interaction with intracellular proteins and improvement of partitioning of the drug into the stratum corneum. Ethanol improves the vesicular ability to penetrate the stratum corneum. In addition, ethanol provides net negative surface charge and prevents vesicle aggregation due to electrostatic repulsion. A synergic effect between terpenes and ethanol on the percutaneous absorption has been remarkably observed. The ability to access the skin subcaste enhances the effectiveness of invasomes, which exert their effects by fluidizing the bilayer structure of stratum corneum (SC) lipids and disrupting lipid and intracellular protein interactions. Invasomes provide a number of advantages including improving the drug efficacy, enhancing patient compliance and comfort. Enhanced delivery of drug through the skin and cellular membranes by means of an invasomes carrier opens numerous challenges and opportunities for research and future development of novel improved therapies.

Keywords: Phospholipids, ethanol, terpenes, transdermal.