Applications of Invasomal Drug Delivery System

The transdermal route is an important pathway for localized or systemic effects. The stratum corneum, the outer layer of the skin, is an essential skin permeation barrier for many drugs. To overcome this barrier, several techniques have been developed, including the use of methods that change the stratum corneum (SC) continuity, such as ultrasound, electroporation, and iontophoresis, and the use of the vehicle and nanocarriers to improve drug penetration. Recently, different types of nanocarriers have been designed to improve the dermal and transdermal delivery of medicines. Vesicular systems appear to be suitable carriers owing to their physicochemical properties, such as deformability, size, and charge, which can be modified by altering lipid constituents and preparation methods. Invasomes are novel and flexible vesicles containing a mixture of soy phosphatidylcholine (PC), terpenes, lyso PC, and ethanol with improved skin penetration in comparison with liposomes. Furthermore, invasomes have the same structural constituents as liposomes but contain terpene in their structure. Terpenes are hydrocarbon compounds and are known to be the primary constituents of essential oils from many plants. Addition of terpenes creates deformable vesicles, which can increase the fluidity of the lipid bilayers of the skin. The ability to permeate through skin layers enhances the activity of invasomes, which exert their effects by fluidizing the bilayer structure of SC lipids and disturbing lipids and intracellular protein interactions. In this article the structure of invasomes, their applications in drug delivery were discussed in detail.

Keywords: Invasomes, Terpene, Thin film hydration technique, Characterization