Recent Modification in Vesicular Approaches for Site Specific Delivery of Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (Dmrds) and Synovial Replenishers.

Recent accepted regimen for rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease recommends that NSAIDs should be used together with DMARDs. Although both these classes of medications are well tolerated for short periods, long-term administration may result in gastrointestinal ulcers. Vesicular carrier systems such as liposomes niosomes, fatty acid based vesicles and ethosomes are recently used for site specific delivery of anti-rheumatic drugs as they not only act as penetration enhancers, but simultaneously serve as a depot for the slow and controlled release of dermally applied active substance. Focus of present review is to highlight fatty acid based vesicles (e.g. oleic, linoleic acid) potential as an alternative carrier system for the topical delivery of Ant-rheumatic drugs.