Chronic pain is one of the most common complaints affecting modern society with an estimated 25.3 million US adults (11.2%) suffering from this health concern.1 Furthermore, almost 40 million adults (17.6%) have severe levels of chronic pain.1 One of the most severe forms of chronic pain is neuropathic pain, which results from damage to the central or peripheral nervous systems.2 This damage can result from physical trauma such as accidents, surgery, and stroke, diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and immune disorders, and medications such as cancer chemotherapy drugs.2 Neuropathic pain is also often associated with accompanying mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and reduced social interactions.
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The VESIsorb® Colloidal Droplet Delivery System and its advantages over other delivery vehicles…
VESIsorb® vs. Micelles
Micelles are composed of a surfactant or surfactant mixture and the active substance to be solubilized within the center of the micelle. A micelle is like an aggregate of surfactant molecules dispersed in a liquid solution. A surfactant molecule has a hydrophilic part – called “head” – and a hydrophobic part – called “tail”. A typical micelle in an aqueous solution forms an aggregate with the hydrophilic “head” regions in contact with surrounding water (solvent), sequestering the hydrophobic tail regions in the micelle center. In this “hydrophobic tail center,” the active substance is dissolved. A “classical” micelle system does not contain oil and is a surfactant-rich system. If a micelle contains small amounts of oil, they are called “swollen” micelles.
Like micelles, VESIsorb® is an aqueous dispersion. However, the dispersed phase is composed of both surfactant AND oil and belongs, therefore, to the systemic group of micro-emulsions. The dispersed phase of VESIsorb® can be envisioned as nano-droplets composed of an oily core (triglycerides/orange oil/CoQ10) surrounded by a hydrophilic shell (polysorbate/polyglycerol esters). Compared to a micellar system, the VESIsorb® contains lower amounts of surfactant (which is highly desirable) and high amounts of oil (lipophilic core/center where the active substance is dissolved).
Micro-emulsions acting like real solutions are in a thermodynamic equilibrium and thus, cannot be accountable to the classical image of an emulsion. It is a “colloidal” solution with extremely tiny (< 100nm), highly flexible associates.
VESIsorb® vs. Liposomes
Liposomes are vesicles and composed of a phospholipid bi-layer membrane surrounding an aqueous core. Fat-soluble active substances can only be solubilized within the bi-layer membrane, thus the loading capacity is limited and lower compared to VESIsorb®.
