**1. Introduction**

Revolution changes and modifies the conservative systems existing in the entire zones of the world. Medicinal chemistry and nanotechnology in that sense practices a revolutionary idea that promises healthy life to every human being. One such important category belongs to drug delivery is the use of natural sources as drug carriers [1]. A number of therapeutic agents show potentiality against cancer, HIV, Tuberculosis, and other kind of diseases, but most of them are not having the potential to overcome the biological barriers inside the body and this causing least effect than actual [2]. This appeal the production of a new system that can able to reduce the typical hitches associated with drugs. We need safe, secure and efficient measures to dose new generation diseases that threatening the life of living beings [3].

Accordingly, among the new discovered diseases, cancer leads as a number one killer disease because of the versatile nature and failure of therapeutic potential against the disease [4]. Recent years witnessed discovery of efficient therapeutic agents but its actual challenge is to overcome the biological barriers inside the body [5]. Most of the drugs are potent to the particular disease but the properties limited due to its hydrophobic nature, non-specificity, toxicity to normal cells, less stability, etc. [6]. So the researchers move to deliver these available potent drugs to the pathological site by diminishing all these factors through entrapment in a biocompatible polymers as carriers [7]. They were trying to develop smart drug carriers to enhance the efficiency of drugs at its specific site with controlled delivery [8].

Drug delivery is a term that refers the successful delivery of therapeutic agents at the specific site with specific time without any kind of degradation [9]. The problem associated with available drugs in the market includes hydrophobic nature, higher toxic nature, nonspecific release, in vivo degradation and short circulating half-lives [10]. Drug delivery systems emerging from the significance of controlled release of therapeutic agent on the affected part in the effective time with least side effects [1, 11]. Natural polymer based drug carriers is the central focus due to biocompatible nature, nontoxicity, low cost, ease of use and biodegradability [10]. Specificity [12] of drug molecule can be improved using ligands at the surface of delivery systems which in turn termed targeted drug delivery to the affected area of the body [13]. Targeting can be through either passive or active [14]. Major types of drug carriers falling under


Utilization of drug delivery systems is a promising methodology for creating efficient therapeutic agents. Among these kinds of carrier's polymeric micelles, dendrimers, liposomes [15] are the growing area because of their outstanding properties and smart drug delivery potential [16]. Polymer based systems must meet some important features to become a good delivery vehicle such as; the backbone should be biocompatible; the term biocompatible in the sense explains capacity of a polymer to act with proper host reaction as well as the polymers are biodegradable without the formation of any kind of harmful by-products inside the body [17–19]. The polymer must soluble in various solvents and versatile in chemical, structural and in application, etc. [3, 9]. The exploitation of micelles prepared from amphiphilic copolymers for solubilization of ineffectively solvent medications has drawn in much consideration. Natural polysaccharide gets much attention towards the preparation of drug delivery systems because of their exceptional

**81**

*Preparation and Characterisation of Niosomal Emulsions as Novel Drug Delivery Vehicle…*

hydrogel forming ability [20]. These are derived from plants, sea weeds shells of

Niosomes are one of the excellent drug carriers, composed of non-ionic surface in addition to cholesterol or its derivatives. Niosomes can overcome the disadvantages of the liposomes [22, 23]. Liposomes firstly proposed by Alec Bangham called Bangosomes in 1965, the first generation liposomes the entrapped drugs are leaked out because of the membranes are not much stronger. In the case of niosomes, the hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts influence the entrapment of drug molecules, where as in the liposomes, lipophilic domain influences in it [5, 24, 25]. Non-ionic surfactants Tween, Brij, Span, etc. are mostly used for the noisome preparation. Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) is a dimensionless parameter which can direct the entrapment efficiency for the drug and controlled release [26]. These values are varies between the non-ionic surfactant nature [27–30]. Surfactants with a HLB number between 3 and 8 are compatible with preparation bilayer surfaces and refer to water-in-oil (W/O) emulsifier [2, 31]. The additives in the niosomes include cholesterol and charge inducer. The cholesterol reduces the HLB value and charge inducer like dicetyl phosphate (DCP), produce surface charge leads to the stabilization of the bilayer [32, 33]. Applications of niosomes mainly related to the systemic delivery of hydrophobic drug molecules. More clearly niosome is used to improve the stability and physical properties, controlled release of drug molecules and for targeting and retention of drug in blood circulation. Niosomes offer various advantages over other drug delivery devices and have found applicability in pharmaceutical field. Niosomes are exceptionally powerful drug delivery instruments for construction/focusing of different remedially dynamic moieties and the responsibility lies on future researchers to viably outfit its potential in assorted application

Hydrophilic interpenetrating polymeric networks like hydrogels represent excellent carrier for hydrophobic drug encapsulation. In comparison to hydrophilic nano systems widely used in drug delivery, hydrogels show better swelling property and biocompatibility [35, 36]. Hydrogels derived from natural polymers like polysaccharides, alginates, gelatin polysaccharide conjugates exhibit a gradual change in swelling properties upon variation in temperature, pH, and ionic strength. 3D polymeric network derived from hydrogels represent flexible tissue-like material

The use of nanotechnology for the delivery of therapeutic agents was put forward by Paul Enrich [6], the proponent of drug loaded magic bullets. Biomedical field uses polysaccharides for the last one half of the century due to its remarkable applications [38]. Nature is an abundant source for natural polysaccharides made its use widely in this field. Most of the drugs used for different types of diseases

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86942*

crustaceans and microorganisms [21].

*(A) Niosome, (B) liposome, (C) polymeric micelles and (D) dendrimers.*

**Figure 1.**

zones to support humanity [34].

**2. Natural polysaccharides**

for efficient delivery of hydrophobic drugs [37] (**Figure 1**).

*Preparation and Characterisation of Niosomal Emulsions as Novel Drug Delivery Vehicle… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86942*

#### **Figure 1.**

*Role of Novel Drug Delivery Vehicles in Nanobiomedicine*

of drug carriers falling under

• Polymeric micelles,

• Niosomes,

• Liposomes,

• Microspheres,

• Nanostructures,

• Protein-DNA complexes,

• Protein-drug conjugates,

• Nanofibers,

• Erythrocytes,

• Virosomes,

• Dendrimers.

due to its hydrophobic nature, non-specificity, toxicity to normal cells, less stability, etc. [6]. So the researchers move to deliver these available potent drugs to the pathological site by diminishing all these factors through entrapment in a biocompatible polymers as carriers [7]. They were trying to develop smart drug carriers to enhance

Drug delivery is a term that refers the successful delivery of therapeutic agents at the specific site with specific time without any kind of degradation [9]. The problem associated with available drugs in the market includes hydrophobic nature, higher toxic nature, nonspecific release, in vivo degradation and short circulating half-lives [10]. Drug delivery systems emerging from the significance of controlled release of therapeutic agent on the affected part in the effective time with least side effects [1, 11]. Natural polymer based drug carriers is the central focus due to biocompatible nature, nontoxicity, low cost, ease of use and biodegradability [10]. Specificity [12] of drug molecule can be improved using ligands at the surface of delivery systems which in turn termed targeted drug delivery to the affected area of the body [13]. Targeting can be through either passive or active [14]. Major types

Utilization of drug delivery systems is a promising methodology for creating efficient therapeutic agents. Among these kinds of carrier's polymeric micelles, dendrimers, liposomes [15] are the growing area because of their outstanding properties and smart drug delivery potential [16]. Polymer based systems must meet some important features to become a good delivery vehicle such as; the backbone should be biocompatible; the term biocompatible in the sense explains capacity of a polymer to act with proper host reaction as well as the polymers are biodegradable without the formation of any kind of harmful by-products inside the body [17–19]. The polymer must soluble in various solvents and versatile in chemical, structural and in application, etc. [3, 9]. The exploitation of micelles prepared from amphiphilic copolymers for solubilization of ineffectively solvent medications has drawn in much consideration. Natural polysaccharide gets much attention towards the preparation of drug delivery systems because of their exceptional

the efficiency of drugs at its specific site with controlled delivery [8].

**80**

*(A) Niosome, (B) liposome, (C) polymeric micelles and (D) dendrimers.*

hydrogel forming ability [20]. These are derived from plants, sea weeds shells of crustaceans and microorganisms [21].

Niosomes are one of the excellent drug carriers, composed of non-ionic surface in addition to cholesterol or its derivatives. Niosomes can overcome the disadvantages of the liposomes [22, 23]. Liposomes firstly proposed by Alec Bangham called Bangosomes in 1965, the first generation liposomes the entrapped drugs are leaked out because of the membranes are not much stronger. In the case of niosomes, the hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts influence the entrapment of drug molecules, where as in the liposomes, lipophilic domain influences in it [5, 24, 25]. Non-ionic surfactants Tween, Brij, Span, etc. are mostly used for the noisome preparation. Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) is a dimensionless parameter which can direct the entrapment efficiency for the drug and controlled release [26]. These values are varies between the non-ionic surfactant nature [27–30]. Surfactants with a HLB number between 3 and 8 are compatible with preparation bilayer surfaces and refer to water-in-oil (W/O) emulsifier [2, 31]. The additives in the niosomes include cholesterol and charge inducer. The cholesterol reduces the HLB value and charge inducer like dicetyl phosphate (DCP), produce surface charge leads to the stabilization of the bilayer [32, 33]. Applications of niosomes mainly related to the systemic delivery of hydrophobic drug molecules. More clearly niosome is used to improve the stability and physical properties, controlled release of drug molecules and for targeting and retention of drug in blood circulation. Niosomes offer various advantages over other drug delivery devices and have found applicability in pharmaceutical field. Niosomes are exceptionally powerful drug delivery instruments for construction/focusing of different remedially dynamic moieties and the responsibility lies on future researchers to viably outfit its potential in assorted application zones to support humanity [34].

Hydrophilic interpenetrating polymeric networks like hydrogels represent excellent carrier for hydrophobic drug encapsulation. In comparison to hydrophilic nano systems widely used in drug delivery, hydrogels show better swelling property and biocompatibility [35, 36]. Hydrogels derived from natural polymers like polysaccharides, alginates, gelatin polysaccharide conjugates exhibit a gradual change in swelling properties upon variation in temperature, pH, and ionic strength. 3D polymeric network derived from hydrogels represent flexible tissue-like material for efficient delivery of hydrophobic drugs [37] (**Figure 1**).
