Self-emulsification in chemical and pharmaceutical technologies

TL;DR

This paper reviews low-energy self-emulsification methods, recent advances, and new approaches in chemical and pharmaceutical technologies, emphasizing greener, cost-effective, and efficient formulations for drug delivery.

Contribution

It introduces three novel self-emulsification approaches discovered recently, expanding the mechanistic understanding and application scope in chemical and pharmaceutical fields.

Findings

Overview of mechanistic understanding of low-energy nanoemulsion methods

Introduction of three new self-emulsification approaches

Discussion of colloidal features and formulation requirements

Abstract

The interest in the low energy self-emulsification techniques has exploded in the recent years, driven by three main trends: by the transition to "greener" technologies in both its aspects - less energy consumption and replacement of the petrochemicals by natural ingredients; by the costly and maintenance demanding equipment for nanoemulsification; and by the quest for efficient and robust self-emulsifying formulations for oral drug delivery. Here we first present a brief overview of the main known low-energy methods for nanoemulsion formation, focusing on their mechanistic understanding and discussing some recent advances in their development and applications. Next, we review three conceptually new approaches for self-emulsification in chemical technologies, discovered in the last several years. The colloidal features and the specific requirements of the self-emulsifying drug-delivery systems (SEDDS) are also discussed briefly. Finally, we summarize the current trends and the main challenges in this vivid research area.