Multifaceted Applications of Solid Lipid: A Comprehensive Review

Lipids originate from plant and animal sources and have significant roles in various fields, like pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, paint, leather, agriculture, microfluidics, and oil industries. Over the years, with the development of technology, different types of lipids have been synthesized or extracted and have been used based on their industrial need. Lipids are heterogeneous group of compounds related to fatty acids and are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. One category of lipids with great importance is of solid lipids. Solid lipids are a type of lipids that remain solid at ambient temperature. In the past, lipids were obtained from natural sources and they were mainly used as bulking agents or bases for different types of dosage forms. In due course of time, after industrialization, lipids evolved and gained more significance. Solid lipids have their importance in drug targeting and controlled drug delivery as release rate modifiers, solubilizers, stabilizers, and permeation enhancers for improved biopharmaceutical performance of drugs. These are also popular for their diversified applications in various industries as mentioned above. In this review, the authors have selected some of the popular solid lipids like Stearic acid, Compritol^®ATO 888, Precirol^®ATO 5, Glyceryl Monostearate, Witepsol^®, Carnauba wax, Softisan^®, Cholesterol, Dynasan^®, and Cetyl palmitate and discussed about their properties and industrial applications.