Abstract

LIPOSOMES: AN OVERVIEW

Komal Pramod Sathe* and Vilas Balasaheb Bangar

Abstract

Liposomes, sphere-shaped vesicles consisting of one or more phospholipid bilayers, were first described in the mid-60s. The term liposomes cover a very large number of different structures, but it can be defined as a lipid bilayer structure or a membrane that encloses an internal aqueous volume. Today, they are a very useful reproduction, reagent, and tool in various scientific disciplines, including mathematics and theoretical physics, biophysics, chemistry, colloid science, biochemistry, and biology. The site avoidance and sitespecific drug targeting therapy could be achieved by formulating a liposomal product, so as to reduce the cytotoxicity of many potent therapeutic agents. Due to their size and hydrophobic and hydrophilic character, liposomes are promising systems for drug delivery. These advances have led to numerous clinical trials in such diverse areas as the delivery of anti-cancer, anti-fungal and antibiotic drugs, the delivery of gene medicines, and the delivery of anesthetics and anti-inflammatory drugs. The significant contribution of liposomes as drug delivery systems in the healthcare sector is known by many clinical products, e.g., Doxil®, Ambisome®, DepoDur™, etc. We can look forward to many more clinical products in the future.

Keywords: Liposomes, phospholipids, drug encapsulation, applications.