脂质立方液晶纳米粒作为药物载体的研究进展

由两亲性脂质分散在水性环境中自发形成各种几何形态构成的药物输送载体正成为制剂载药系统研究的热点之一。脂质立方液晶纳米粒是一定浓度的两亲性脂质分散在水溶液中自组装成含双连续水区和脂质区的闭合脂质双层“蜂窝状(海绵状)”结构,该独特的内部双水道结构和巨大膜表面积使其能够包封各种不同极性和剂量的药物,具有多样化的药物包裹性。作为药物载体,脂质立方液晶纳米粒还具有载药量大、保护多肽蛋白类药物和制备工艺简单等优点;可口服、局部黏膜和注射等多种途径给药,在多种剂型中有广泛的应用。本文对脂质立方液晶纳米给药系统的研究进行归纳和总结,并展望了脂质立方液晶纳米粒新型药物载体的应用前景。

Advances in the study of lipid-based cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticles as drug delivery system

Various geometric shapes and structures self-assembled of amphiphilic lipids when present in an aqueous environment, as active delivery vehicles, are becoming one of focuses of drug delivery system. Lipid-based cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticles (or Cubosomes) consisting of "honeycombed (cavernous)" structure spontaneously formed when a certain concentration of amphiphilic lipids dispersed in aqueous solution has curved bicontinuous lipid bilayer in three dimensions, separating two congruent networks of water channels. Its unique structure consists of internal double water channels and large interfacial areas, which reveal great flexibility in encapsulation efficiency of various polarities and amount of drugs, and has variegated range of drugs encapsulated. As a drug delivery vehicle, high drug payloads, stabilization of peptides or proteins and simple preparation process are also its advantages. The ability of cubic phase to incorporate and control release of drugs of varying size and polar characteristics, and biodegradability of lipids make it an interesting drug delivery system for various routes of administration, including oral, topical (or mucosal) and intravenous administrations, with extensive application in a multitude of dosage forms. Furthermore, a number of different proteins in cubic phase appear to retain their native conformation and bioactivity, and are protected against chemical and physical inactivation. In this paper, investigations of lipid-based cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticles are reviewed and summarized, with a hope to provide a reference for its in-depth study. At the end, the authors made a development prospect of this novel excellent candidate for active ingredients delivery vehicle.