MICROEMULSION(ME

)
BY:CHHEDA JAY
M.
GUIDE : Mrs. Sapna Paul
 1) INTRODUCTION
 What are ME ?
Microemulsions are clear,
isotropic liquid mixtures of oil,
water and surfactant and co-
surfactant. The co-surfactant is
usually a 4 to 8 carbon chain
aliphatic alcohol, such as
pentanol, and the water may
contain salt (s).
 ALTERNATIVE NAMES
 Transparent emulsion
 Swollen micelle
 Micellar solution
 Solublized oil
 THERMODYNAMIC
STABILITY
 In general mixtures of oil and
water, even in the presence of
an emulsifier, are
thermodynamically unstable
forming emulsions
 However if the solubilising agent
is a surfactant, or in general any
amphiphilic compound, the
ternary mixture formed is
thermodynamically stable. Such
 Position Of Surfactant
 In these systems the surfactant forms a
monolayer at the oil / water interface,
oriented with the polar headgroups in
contact with the water while the apolar
tails reside in the oil, thereby solubilising
the mixture of the two immiscible liquids.
 Surfactant & Cosurfactant
used for making topically
used ME
 Three sets of surfactant and
cosurfactant phase were used:
>Labrafil M 1944 CS and Plurol
Oleique(1:1);
>Labrafil M 1944 CS and Plurol
Oleique (1:2);
> Labrafil M 1944 CS, Capmul MCM
C-8, Plurol Oleique, and
dehydrated ethyl alcohol (3:3:1:1).
2) Difference in COARSE
& ME
Below are the Silicone Emulsion & ME
Emulsion ME
 Difference in COARSE &
ME
 Most common emulsions have a particle
size with a
radius in the 1 to 10 micrometer range.
 A ‘mini-emulsion’ has a particle size with
a radius of
~100nm
 Microemulsions have a particle size with
radii in the
10nm range
 Common emulsions and mini-emulsions
are inherently
colloidally unstable.
 Microemulsions are a thermodynamically
3) CHARACTERIZATION OF
ME
 Conductivity :
A mixture of known weights of surfactant,
co-surfactant and oil was placed in the
beaker at a constant temperature. The
initial conductivity was recorded, and then
water was added continuously to the
surfactant solution with constant stirring.
The conductivity was measured using a
Thermo Orion conductivity meter, and was
measured to an accuracy of ±0.5%.
Conductivity measurement can be used to
characterize the microemulsion system
and determine the maximum amount of
water that can be added to maintain the
3) CHARACTERIZATION OF
ME
 Viscosity :
The viscosity values of all samples were
low and relatively constant at 5 to 11
mPas. All samples exhibited Newtonian
flow behavior, as expected from
microemulsions. For the systems of 0% to
30% wt/wt water, the viscosity was 5.29 to
9.02 mPas, while that of 35% to 50% wt/wt
water systems was 8.28 to 11.17 mPas. It
could be noted that the viscosity values
tended to increase slightly when the water
concentrations increased or when the
system turned into oil/water type because
oil/water microemulsions have higher
viscosities than those of water/oil systems.
3) CHARACTERIZATION OF
ME
 Dynamic light scattering :
Dynamic light scattering can be used to
characterize biomolecules in solution. Laser light is
guided through a sample and the scattered light
detected as single photons. Analysis of the light
intensity fluctuations yields the diffusion coefficient
and hydrodynamic radius of the scattering objects.
This technique can be applied from peptides ( ~
1nm ) to assembled structures like viruses ( ~ 10
nm ) and up to larger aggregates ( ~ 1 μm ). A
similar size range is covered by surfactant
systems. Above the critical micelle concentration
detergent molecules assemble into micelles.
Detergents can also increase solubility of
amphiphilic molecules such as membrane proteins
by covering the lipophilic parts. Light scattering
allows the determination of micellar size
3) CHARACTERIZATION OF
ME
 PEG-NMR :
A novel microemulsion was prepared to increase the
solubility and the in vitro transdermal delivery of poorly
water-soluble vinpocetine. The correlation between the
transdermal permeation rate and structural characteristics
of vinpocetine microemulsion was investigated by pulsed
field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG-NMR). For
the microemulsions, oleic acid was chosen as oil phase,
PEG-8 glyceryl caprylate/caprate (Labrasol®) as surfactant
(S), purified diethylene glycol monoethyl ether (Transcutol
P®) as cosurfactant (CoS), and the double-distilled water as
water phase. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were
constructed to obtain the concentration range of each
component for the microemulsion formation. The effects of
various oils and different weight ratios of surfactant to
cosurfactant (S/CoS) on the solubility and permeation rate
of vinpocetine were investigated. Self-diffusion coefficients
were determined by PFG-NMR in order to investigate the
influence of microemulsion composition with the equal drug
concentration on their transdermal delivery.
3) CHARACTERIZATION OF
ME
 PEG-NMR :
Finally, the microemulsion containing 1%
vinpocetine was optimized with 4% oleic acid,
20.5% Labrasol, 20.5% Transcutol P, and 55%
double-distilled water (w/w), in which drug
solubility was about 3160-fold higher compared
to that in water and the apparent permeation rate
across the excised rat skin was 36.4±2.1
μg/cm[2]/h. The physicochemical properties of
the optimized microemulsion were examined for
the pH, viscosity, refractive index, conductivity,
and particle size distribution. The microemulsion
was stable after storing more than 12 months at
25°C. The irritation study showed that the
optimized microemulsion was a nonirritant
3) CHARACTERIZATION OF
ME
 Small angle neutron scattering :
Specular neutron reflection and small angle neutron
scattering were use to investigate the composition
and structure of mixed surfactants at interfaces and in
micelles. Results obtained from mixed anionic-
nonionic, cationic-nonionic, and nonionic-nonionic
surfactants at the air-solution, liquid-solid, and oil-
water interfaces, and in micelles are compared with
theoretical predictions. At the liquid-solid interface,
the role of specific surfactant/surface interactions can
be discussed. At the oil-water interface, partitioning of
surfactant into the oil phase, and the solubilisation of
oil into mixed micelles can be discussed. Detailed
structural information on the mixed surfactant layer at
the air-water interface can be presented. Comparison
with the structure of the pure component monolayers
highlights limitations of some current theories of
surfactant mixing. The structure of mixed surfactant
micelles, obtained by small angle neutron scattering
3) CHARACTERIZATION OF
ME
 Small angle X-ray scattering :
X-ray surface scattering is used to study
molecular ordering and phase transitions
in soluble monolayers of n-alcohols (CH 3
(CH 2) m-1 OH, where m=20, 22, 24, and
30) adsorbed at the water-hexane
interface. In contrast to well-ordered
fluorinated monolayers, these monolayers
have a distinctive type of disorder. The
monolayer molecules are oriented nearly
perpendicular to the interface and are
nearly all-trans.
 4) Designing Of ME
 Microemulsions are produced in three
different formulation types:
• As a ready formulated oil-in-water
microemulsion.
• As a water-in-oil microemulsion which
dilutes to become an oil-in-water
microemulsion.
• As an organic solution concentrate of
the active ingredient and surfactants
which dilutes in water to form a
microemulsion.
A microemulsion is formulated by
combining the active ingredient with a
suitable International speciality product
5) PHASE DIAGRAM
 5) PHASE DIAGRAM
 Effect of temperature :
 6) APPLICATION OF ME
Pharmaceutical Application :
 Solublizing Capacity Of emulsion &
ME
 Other Advantages

 Some Limitations

 Practical Application

 ME as Promising drug delivery

system
 6) APPLICATION OF ME
ME In Cosmetics :
 Solublization

 Ultrafine Emulsion

 Influence Of ME on Chemical
Reaction
 Synthesis of Nanoparticle

 Polymerization
 6) APPLICATION OF ME
 Ophthalmic Use
 Other Applications :
In Enhanced Oil Recovery
As fuels
As lubricants, Cutting oils And
Corrosion inhibitors
As Coatings And Textile finishing
In Detergency
 6) APPLICATION OF ME
 Other Applications :
In Food
As Liquid Membranes
In Biotechnology
> Enzymatic Reactions In
Microemulsions
>Immobilization of protein in
microemulsion
> Microemulsions for Bioseparations
7) SOME OF DRUGS FORMULATED AS
MICROEMULSION AND THEIR ROLE
Sr Drugs Formulati Used as
no. on
1 Doxorubicin, Idarubicin, Oral & Anti tumour
Tetrabenzamidine derivative parent
al
2 lidocaine, benzocaine, tetracaine, heptacaine For anesthetics
topical
use
3 Testosterone enanthate, progesterone, Oral & Steroids
medroxyprogestorane Parent
acetate al
4 Miconazole , Ketoconazole Topical Anti fungal
7) SOME OF DRUGS FORMULATED
AS MICROEMULSION AND THEIR
ROLE
5 cloitrimazole, ciclopirox olamine, Topical Anti
econazole nitrate infective

6 menadione, ascorbic acid Oral Vitamin

7 butibufen, indomethacin Oral & Anti

parental inflammat
ory
 8) CONCLUSION
Microemulsions are potential drug delivery
systems for several applications especially
oral, nasal, topical, and transdermal.
Advantages of microemulsion over coarse
emulsion include its ease of preparation due
to spontaneous formation, thermodynamic
stability, transparent and elegant
appearance, increased drug loading,
enhanced penetration through the biological
membranes, increased bioavailability, and
less inter- and intra-individual variability in
drug pharmacokinetics. These advantages
make microemulsions attractive drug
delivery systems. However, the toxicity of
the surfactant and cosurfactant has to be
 9) REFRENSES & LNKS
 Paul BK, Moulik SP: Microemulsions: An
overview.
 Hoar TP, Schulman JH: Transparent water-in-
oil dispersions
 Kumar, P. and Mittal, K. L., Handbook of
Microemulsions:
Science and Technology
 Prince, L. M., in Microemulsions: Theory and
Practice p. 25.
 Alany RG, Tucker IG, Davies NM, Rades T.  Cha
racterizing colloidal structures of
pseudoternary phase diagrams formed by
oil/water/amphiphile systems. Drug Dev Ind
Pharm. 2001.
 9) REFRENSES & LNKS
 Alfred Martin : physical chemical principles in
the pharmaceutics
 Prince: Microemulsions. J Soc Cosmetic Chem
21:193
 F. M. Fowkes, in .Solvent Properties of
Surfactant Solutions
 N.K.Jain text book of Pharmaceutics dispersing
system
 Asher, S. A., Weissman, J. M., Sunkara, H. B.,
Pan, G., Holtz, J., Liu, L. and Kesavamoorthy,
R., in Polymers for Advanced Optical
Applications
 Solans, C. and Kunieda, H. (eds), Industrial
Applications of
 9) REFRENSES & LNKS
 Links :
 http://www.casescientific.com/presen
tations.html
 www.aapspharmscitech.org/articles

 www.wikipedia.org

 www.medicinenet.com
THANK
YOU