UFASOME: A POTENTIAL PHOSPHOLIPID CARRIER AS A NOVEL PHARMACEUTICAL FORMULATION

Abstract

Ufasomes are unsaturated fatty acid vesicles. They are the suspensions of fatty acids and their ionized species (soap) which are arranged as closed lipid bilayer. The molecular arrangement in ufasome is that the hydrocarbon tails are oriented towards inferior of the membrane and carbonyl groups are in contact with water. The stability of formulation depends on the selection of fatty acid, pH range, amount of lipoxygenase etc. Film hydration method is used for the preparation of vesicle by using oleic acid as fatty acid principle components. The present article describes about the advantages, disadvantages, method of preparation, in vitro evaluation and resent innovations of ufasomes. The present investigation aims at exploring the potential of fatty acid vesicle for the topical delivery of drugs. Earlier ufasomes where considered as the pre-biotic models for cellular compartments. Now, ufasomes are also found as carriers for horizontal transfer of engineered gene from plants to soil microbes or environment.