Lipospheres:

Lipospheres:
            Lipospheres are a drug encapsulation system composed of water dispersible solid microparticles of particle size between 0.01 and 100 _m in diameter with a solid hydrophobic lipid core stabilized by a layer of phospholipid molecules embedded in their surface. The bioactive compound is dissolved or dispersed in the solid lipid matrix of the internal core. Lipospheres were introduced in the beginning of the 1990s; they have been used for the delivery of multiple types of drugs by various routes of administration. Lipospheres have several advantages over other delivery systems, such as better physical stability, low cost of ingredients, ease of preparation and scale-up, high dispersibility in an aqueous medium, high entrapment of hydrophobic drugs, controlled particle size, and extended release of entrapped drug after administration, from a few hours to several days. This review article focuses on updated information on several aspects of lipospheres, including preparation techniques, sterilization, storage in vitro evaluation methods.