Bicosome: A versatile technology in biomedicine and dermopharmacy

Abstract

Bicosomes opened a new chapter in vesicular drug delivery system which immensely contributed to the development of pharmaceutical research. They are defined as bicelles encapsulated in liposomal vesicular structure. One of the peculiar characteristics of bicosomes lies in its distinctive ability to maintain the morphology without any structural changes. They preserve and isolate bicelles from environments with high water contents. This drug delivery system has remarkable stability over temperature changes, in highly diluted media and also an effective permeability modulator for an effective transdermal drug delivery system. This vesicular system becomes a new application for the delivery of the drug through the skin. They are prepared by thin film hydration technique. Unique structures of bicosomes are small enough to pass through stratum corneum of the skin without any damage to tissues and cause structural transformation. This helps to hold the bicosomes between the skin layers and allows slow drug delivery. The capacity of these systems to regenerate skin barrier function and target specific action on skin layers finds its usefulness in the dermatological field. Thus bicosome technology is a versatile platform that can be applied in different skin disorders and appear to be smart nanosystems with great potential in biomedicine and dermopharmacy.