Gaikwad Abhijeet R. Phytosome as a Novel Drug Delivery System for Bioavailability Enhancement of Phytoconstituents and its Applications: A Review

Phytoconstituents are used extensively in modern science due to their varied therapeutic actions with few side effects. Regardless of their excellent pharmacodynamic activity, many Phytoconstituents have shown less bioavailability in vivo. Novel drug delivery systems have gained vital importance due to their increased bioavailability, and overall therapeutics. The water miscible Phytoconstituents have excellent bioactivity in vitro, however poor or no action in vivo. Phytosome technology can overcome this drawback during which the Phyto actives are allowed to react with phospholipid molecules. The Phytoconstituents with low lipoid solubility on complexation into herbal extract. Phospholipids show high affinity for polyphenolics, and type supramolecular adducts having a certain ratio. Hydrogen bond interactions between Phytoconstituents and phospholipids enable phospholipid complexes as an integral part. Complexation of phospholipids with active constituents of plants improves their bioavailability and is being extensively studied by researchers, and additional research during this regard is predicted within the future. This review highlights the unique property of phospholipids in drug delivery, phospholipid chemistry, stoichiometric ratios. We also discuss recent progress in research on the preparation, characterization, structural verification, advantages, recent patents, marketed formulation their application to enhance the bioavailability of active herbal Phytoconstituents. Keywords: Phytosome, Novel drug delivery, Phosphatidylcholine, Bioavailability, Patents, Applications.