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Lyotropic liquid crystal systems in drug delivery: a review

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Abstract

Lamellar, cubic and hexagonal mesophases are some of the most common lyotropic liquid crystal systems, and have attracted much research attention because of their distinctive structures and physicochemical properties. Polar lipids and surfactants exhibit a range of phase behavior in an aqueous environment, depending on the composition of the lipids and surfactants. These characteristics have been investigated for a variety of applications in drug delivery, and lyotropic liquid crystal systems have potential as drug carriers for small molecules, peptides, and proteins. In this article we provide an overview of recent advances in the state of the art, including methods of preparation and applications in drug delivery. The scope and limitations of lyotropic liquid crystals for drug delivery are discussed, and future research perspectives are identified.

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Acknowledgments

This article does not contain any studies with human and animal subjects performed by any of the authors. All authors (D.-H. Kim, A. Jahn, S.-J. Cho, J. S. Kim, M.-H Ki, and D.-D. Kim) declare that they have no conflict of interest. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Korean government (MSIP) (No. 2009-0083533) and the MarineBio Research Program (NRF-C1ABA001-2011-0018561).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, Republic of Korea

    Dong-Hwan Kim, Alexander Jahn, Sung-Joon Cho & Dae-Duk Kim

  2. Division of Health Sciences, Dongseo University, Busan, 617-716, Republic of Korea

    Jung Sun Kim

  3. Chong Kun Dang Research Institute, CKD Pharmaceutics Inc., 464-3 Jung-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-Do, 446-916, Republic of Korea

    Min-Hyo Ki

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  1. Dong-Hwan Kim
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Kim, DH., Jahn, A., Cho, SJ. et al. Lyotropic liquid crystal systems in drug delivery: a review. Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation 45, 1–11 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40005-014-0165-9

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