Drygels – A promising porous solid state carriers as a Novel Pharmaceutical Dosage Form

Abstract

Traditional gel-based dosage forms, such as hydrogels and organogels, have been utilized extensively in topical and semi-solid pharmaceutical formulations. Nevertheless, constraints include inadequate compatibility with hydrophobic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), vulnerability to microbial contamination, restricted shelf life, and insufficient mechanical stability have prompted the advancement of alternate delivery strategies. Drygels, which include aerogels, xerogels, and cryogels, represent a promising category of porous solid-state carriers derived from gel precursors via controlled drying or freeze-processing methods.These characteristics facilitate the effective loading of hydrophobic pharmaceuticals in an amorphous form, markedly enhancing water solubility and oral bioavailability. Prominent production techniques encompass supercritical CO₂ drying, freeze-drying, and ambient-pressure evaporative drying, each yielding unique structural attributes. Drygels exhibit extensive applicability in oral, transdermal, pulmonary, nasal, and implantable drug delivery systems, as well as biosensing. Drygels constitute a revolutionary platform in pharmaceutical formulation, providing improved performance and versatility. This review rigorously analyzes their composition, manufacturing techniques, gelation mechanisms and stability properties.