Interest of glycolipids in drug delivery: from physicochemical properties to drug targeting.
BACKGROUND
The need for new products derived from natural sources for the replacement of the commonly used non-ionic surfactants containing ethylene oxide units with degradable carbohydrate headgroups has become an important area of research. Glycolipids offer a wide range of applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields and can compete with the most commonly used surfactants. Involved in molecular recognition mechanisms at the surface of cells, glycolipids are also used for drug targeting.


METHODS
The structure and pharmaceutical applications of the main glycolipid categories are summarized. The review focuses on marketed glycolipids, biosurfactants and compounds developed at laboratory scale for applications such as self-assembly or drug targeting.


RESULTS
This article aims to provide an overview of the different sugar-based surfactant classes and their potential uses.


CONCLUSIONS
Beside their use as surfactants or absorption enhancers in basic formulations, glycolipids can build gels, niosomes, hexosomes and cubosomes, whose structure is directly related to lyotropic properties. These systems allow solubilization and entrapment of drugs. In innovative delivery systems, glycolipids are also used for drug targeting because their sugar moieties can be specifically recognized by carbohydrate-binding proteins exposed at the surface of cells.
Faivre
Vincent
V
Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie des Systèmes Polyphasés, Université Paris-Sud, UMR CNRS 8612, Châtenay-Malabry Cedex, France. vincent.faivre@u-psud.fr
Rosilio
Véronique
V
D000268:Adhesiveness; D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005079:Excipients / Q000737:chemistry*; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008081:Liposomes; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry
D005079:Excipients; D006017:Glycolipids; D008081:Liposomes; D013501:Surface-Active Agents