The global health scenario in present times has raised
human awareness
about drug delivery strategies. Among colloidal drug delivery vehicles,
vesicular nanocarriers such as liposomes and niosomes are popular.
However, liposomes and niosomes get disrupted in the harsh environment
of the gastrointestinal tract. In this context, the drug delivery
community has reported the superior performance of vesicles containing
bile salts, that is, bilosomes. The present work attempts to examine
the structural/morphological aspects underlying the superior performance
of bilosomes. Optical microscopy, electron microscopy, and light scattering
give a definite proof of the enhanced stability of bilosomes compared
to niosomes, both prepared from the same amphiphilic molecule. Fluorescence
probing of the vesicles provides detailed insight into the bilayer
characteristics and the differences between bilosomes and niosomes.
Fluorescence resonance energy transfer studies lend further support
to the findings that bilosomes have a more flexible bilayer structure
than niosomes. The entrapment efficiency of the vesicles for the well-known
antioxidant curcumin (whose bioavailability is a matter of concern
due to low water solubility) was also studied. Bilosomes show higher
curcumin entrapment efficiency than niosomes. For use in drug delivery,
one needs to establish a trade-off between cargo/drug entrapment and
release. Thus, a flexible bilayer structure is an advantage.
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