Pickering Emulsions for Drug Delivery Applications

Pickering emulsions are colloidal dispersions in which immiscible liquid phases are stabilised by finely divided solid particles that assemble at the oil–water interface. In contrast to conventional surfactant-stabilised systems, these particle-stabilised emulsions offer low toxicity, exceptional kinetic stability and large interfacial area, enabling high drug loading and controlled release. A diverse array of organic and inorganic particles—including silica, calcium carbonate, chitosan, proteins and polysaccharides—can be tailored in size, surface chemistry and wettability to impart stimuli-responsive behaviour or targeting functionality. Routes of administration span oral, injectable, transdermal and nasal delivery, opening opportunities for anticancer therapies with pH-triggered release, topical antimicrobials for skin infections and vaccine adjuvants. The rigid particle shell minimises premature leakage and enhances protection of labile drugs, while surface modification permits ligand-mediated targeting. Challenges remain in scalable manufacturing, precise control of droplet size distribution and regulatory approval of novel particulate materials. Nonetheless, the unique combination of biocompatibility, tunable release profiles and structural robustness has propelled extensive research into Pickering emulsions as versatile platforms for precision drug delivery.

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Pickering Emulsions for Drug Delivery Applications publication trend

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Technical terms

Pickering emulsion: Colloidal dispersion of two immiscible liquids stabilised by solid particles that adsorb at the interface.

Solid-particle stabiliser: Finely divided organic or inorganic material that irreversibly anchors at the oil–water boundary to prevent droplet coalescence.

Droplet size distribution: Measure of the range and proportion of droplet diameters within an emulsion, influencing stability and release kinetics.

Stimuli-responsive system: Formulation engineered to release active agents in response to external triggers such as pH, temperature or enzymatic activity.

References

1. Pickering emulsion: From controllable fabrication to biomedical application. Interdisciplinary Medicine (2023).
2. A Review of Pickering Emulsions: Perspectives and Applications. Pharmaceuticals (2022).
3. Pickering emulsions stabilized with chitosan/gum Arabic particles: Effect of chitosan degree of deacetylation on the physicochemical properties and cannabidiol (CBD) topical delivery. Journal of Molecular Liquids (2022).