Organogels: Properties and Applications in Drug Delivery

An organogel, a viscoelastic system, can be regarded as a semi-solid preparation which has an immobilized external apolar phase. The apolar phase is immobilized within spaces of the three-dimensional network structure formed due to the physical interactions amongst the self-assembling structures of compounds regarded as gelators. In general, organogels are thermodynamically stable in nature and have been explored as matrices for the delivery of bioactive agents. In the current paper, attempts have been made to understand the properties of organogels, various types of organogelators and some applications of the organogels in controlled delivery. (C) Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011