A Review on Oleogels and its Role in Pharmaceutical Field

Abstract

Gel-based products called oleogels due to their required rheological, physical, and chemical stabilities in semisolid formulations not only have wide applications in the cosmetic industry, and nutraceutical industries but also they are used largely in various pharmaceutical field for formulating various topical drug delivery system and also as oil-based gels as versatile drug delivery systems for paediatric purpose. Oleogels are semisolid non-crystalline, thermo-reversible viscoelastic systems which consist of a lipophilic liquid phase (mineral or vegetable oils, isopropyl myristate) gelled with a suitable gelling agent referred as organogelators which can improve drug penetration through the stratum corneum because of their lipophilic nature. The polar phase gets trapped inside the three-dimensional networked structure present in the oleogels system, which is formed due to physical interactions among the self-assembled structures of organogelators. As these systems are resistant to the effects of moisture and do not require the addition of stabilizers or preservatives and hence they are preferred in drug delivery systems over conventional gels. The present article focuses on components, formulation aspects, and recent role of oleogels products showing its pharmaceutical applications.

Linseed Oil-Based Oleogel Vehicles for Hydrophobic Drug Delivery—Physicochemical and Applicative Properties

“…In such a system, oil molecules act as the dispersed oil phase [1,2]. A characteristic feature of oleogels is their ability to maintain stability and homogeneity, facilitating their effective use as carriers for active substances across various fields including pharmacy [3], cosmetology [4], and the food industry [5][6][7].…”