Oleosome: A novel carrier for drug delivery, its stability issues, probable approaches for their stabilization, and associated Patents in Pharmaceutical Field

Abstract

: Oleosomes are oil containing micro-carriers of natural origin that is comprised of special Oleosin proteins embedded with a monolayer of phospholipids and having triacylglycerol core. Due to their unique structure and non-toxic to the biological system these oil carriers are becoming very eye-catching in the field of formulation development in the field of pharmacy. Consequently, it offers emoliency, occlusivity, self-emulsification, an antioxidant and film-forming property which leads to controlled and sustained release of encapsulated bio-actives. It is also feasible to load oil-soluble ingredients such as fragrance, vitamins (retinol), and lipophilic drug moieties inside the core. Being a natural carrier, it shows some stability issues (leakage of oil from the core, oxidation of the loaded oil, aggregation of oil droplets) which are controllable. In this review, we have focused on the various stability issues, techniques (coating, surface modification, solvents) to overcome those problems, how to load any lipophilic drug into the oil core, and linked patent research works in the field of formulation development.