Cubosomal Hydrogels in Topical Drug Delivery: Formulation Strategies, Characterization and Therapeutic Applications

Author

Akash. A , S. Mohan Kumar, Dr. J. Karthi, Dr. S. Swarnalatha, Santhosh Kumar. G

Abstract

 Cubosomes are self-assembled, bicontinuous cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticles built from polar lipids such as glyceryl monooleate and phytantriol, dispersed in water with the aid of an amphiphilic stabiliser. Their internal architecture, comprising curved lipid bilayers folded around two interpenetrating aqueous channels, gives them a very large internal surface area and an unusual capacity to house hydrophilic, lipophilic and amphiphilic actives within the same particle. When these dispersions are embedded into a hydrophilic polymer network to yield a semisolid cubosomal hydrogel, or "cubogel", the resulting system combines the nanostructural advantages of cubosomes with the ease of application, spreadability and residence time expected of a conventional topical gel. This review brings together the current understanding of cubosome self-assembly and phase behaviour, the top-down and bottom-up routes used to manufacture them, the polymeric strategies used to convert them into hydrogels, and the physicochemical toolbox, ranging from dynamic light scattering to small-angle X-ray scattering, cryogenic electron microscopy and Franz-cell permeation studies, that is used to characterise them. The therapeutic applications discussed span antifungal and antimicrobial cubogels, anti-inflammatory and analgesic formulations, wound and burn dressings, antioxidant and cosmeceutical preparations, and emerging anticancer and receptor-targeted topical systems. Safety, stability and scale-up considerations that continue to limit clinical translation are also examined, together with directions in which the field appears to be moving, including stimuli-responsive and ligand-decorated cubogels.

Keywords

Cubosomal Hydrogels, Topical Drug Delivery, Formulation Strategies, Physicochemical Characterization

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