AN EXTENSIVE REVIEW ON NANOSTRUCTURED LIPID CARRIER (NLCs)

K. Sundaramoorthy and P. Dinesh*

ABSTRACT

The current review on Nanostructured Lipid Carrier (NLCs) become one of the most popular drug carrier technique among other carrier system. Nanostructured Lipid Carrier (NLCs) are second generation nano sized lipid-based drug delivery system which designed to overcome the limitations of conventional lipid carrier like solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs). NLCs are colloidal drug delivery system composed of mixture of a solid and liquid lipids, surfactants offering improved drug loading capacity, controlled drug release and enhanced stability. NLCs are suitable for both lipophilic and hydrophilic drugs. These carriers provide several advantages including increased solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs (Febuxostat), protecting the sensitive drug molecules and enhanced bioavailability. NLCs can be used for various routes of administration such as oral, parenteral and topical delivery. This article highlights the formulation strategies, characterization techniques and potential applications of NLCs in modern pharmaceutical and therapeutic field, showing their promise for more effective and patient compliance drug delivery. Due to their biologically non-toxic and non-immunogenic NLCs are going to be widely explored among lipid nanocarrier system.

Keywords: Nanostructured Lipid Carrier (NLCs), Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs), Solid and liquid lipid, Surfactant, Colloidal drug delivery.