Available online at www.scholarsresearchlibrary.com Scholars Research Library Der Pharmacia Lettre, 2010, 2(4): 227-239 (http://scholarsresearchlibrary.com/archive.html) ISSN 0975-5071 USA CODEN: DPLEB4 227 Scholar Research Library Proniosomes: An Emerging Vesicular System in Drug Delivery and Cosmetics 1 Rishu Kakar, *1 Rekha Rao, 1 Anju Goswami, 2 Sanju Nanda, 3 Kamal Saroha 1 M.M. College of Pharmacy, M.M. University, Mullana, Ambala 133001, India 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, M. D. University, Rohtak124-001, India 3 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, K.University, Kurukshetra. ______________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT A number of novel drug delivery systems have emerged encompassing various routes of administration to achieve controlled and targeted drug delivery. Encapsulation of the drug in vesicular structures is one such system, which can be predicted to prolong the existence of the drug in systemic circulation and reduce the toxicity, if selective uptake can be achieved. Consequently, a number of vesicular drug delivery systems such as liposomes, niosomes, transferosomes, ethosomes and proniosomes were developed. Proniosomes are water soluble carrier particles that are coated with surfactant and can be hydrated to form a niosomal dispersion immediately before use on brief agitation in hot aqueous media. This review presents an overview about proniosomes reporting the preparation methods, characterization techniques and the studies of penetration and transport of various drugs through skin. Key words: Proniosomes, Niosomes, Transdermal drug delivery, Cosmetics. ______________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION One of the major advances in vesicle research was the finding that some modified vesicles possessed properties that allowed them to successfully deliver drugs in deeper layers of skin. Transdermal drug delivery offers an attractive alternative to conventional oral and injection therapies as a means of achieving constant therapeutic levels of drugs. [1] Percutaneous administration by-passes the hepatic first pass effect and provides better compliance. However, the barrier properties of the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin, prevent the percutaneous absorption of many drugs. [2] To overcome the stratum corneum barrier, various