Microsponge Drug Delivery System: Emerging Technique in Novel Drug Delivery System and Recent Advances

A number of advancements have been made in the drug delivery system in order to achieve the goals of improved efficacy and cost-effectiveness in therapy. Controlling the rate of release of active drugs to a predetermined site in the human body has been one of the pharma industry's most challenging tasks. Microsponges are porous cross-linked, non-collapsible microspheres with a size range of 5-300µm that can entrap a variety of drugs and then be incorporated into a formulated product like gel, cream, powder, or liquid. Controlled release of drugs onto the epidermis with the confidence that the drug remains primarily localized and does not enter the systemic circulation in substantial amounts is a field of research that the microsponge delivery system is progressively exploring. In order to remove systemic exposure and minimize local cutaneous reaction to active drugs, microsponge technology has been introduced in topical drug products to facilitate the controlled release of the active drugs into the cell. Also, numerous studies have shown that microsponge systems are non-irritating, non-mutagenic, non-allergenic, and non-toxic. MDDS technology is being used currently in cosmetics, over-the-counter (OTC) skin care, sunscreens, and prescription products and has recently been used in oral drugs as well as biopharmaceuticals (protein, peptides, and DNA based therapeutics) drug delivery. The purpose of this article is to provide information about microsponges such as the method of preparation, mechanism of drug release from microsponges, characterization, applications of microsponges, and information about microsponges updated research.