7 - Nanocochleates: A novel lipid-based nanocarrier system for drug delivery

Abstract

Nanocochleates are cylindrical solid lipid particulates designed by rolling large continuous bilayer sheets with no internal aqueous space. They are promising nanocarrier systems for delivering hydrophobic, hydrophilic, positively charged, and negatively charged bioactive molecules through various routes of administration with sustained release capabilities. This novel technology has been reported to enhance oral bioavailability, increase therapeutic efficacy, and enhance the safety of the drugs by diminishing the toxicity of encapsulated drugs—all of which lead to improved patient compliance. This chapter covers recent advancements in nanocochleate-based drug delivery systems with multiple aspects of nanocochleates such as their chemistry, components, mechanism of actions, methods of preparation, stability, advantages, characterization, applications, and current commercial status. Currently, nanocochleate-based drug delivery system is drawing more attention in pharmaceutical product development for solving challenging drug deliveries arisen due to latter's poor biometrics, principally owing to nanocochleate's lesser constraints than other traditional drug delivery systems.