Formulation Aspects Of Nanosuspension In Drug Delivery: A Review

Abstract

Low bioavailability is one of the critical problems associated with poorly soluble drugs. The problem becomes more complicated for drugs belonging to BCS Class II category. Hence, a promising and an attractive alternative to the above problem is formulating the BCS Class II drugs as nanosuspension. Nanosuspensions are biphasic systems and submicron colloidal dispersions of nanosized pure drug particles in a liquid phase stabilized by polymers and surfactants. The method of preparation of nanosuspension is very simple and applicable to a wide variety of water insoluble drugs. A nanosuspension also alters the pharmacokinetic properties of a drug and hence enhances the safety and efficacy in addition to overcoming the problems of poor solubility and bioavailability. A few techniques that are commercially employed for the manufacturing of nanosuspension are high-pressure homogenization, media milling, etc.  The unique characteristics of Nanosuspension has enabled its use by various routes such as an oral, pulmonary, ocular, topical, and mucoadhesive. Improved drug dispersibility and drug solubilization, enhanced therapeutic efficacy and reduced toxicity are the few among the numerous advantages possessed by the nanosuspension. Therefore, the present review focusses on the achievements of nanosuspensions in the drug delivery system in order to improve the solubility, stability, and bioavailability of the drugs. Preparation methods and applications of the nanosuspensions are described in this review article.