LIPOSOMES IN DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM: A REVIEW

Abstract

Amongst various medicament carrier systems, liposomes have generated a great interest because of their versatility. Liposomes not only used in delivery of both hydrophilic and lipophilic medicaments for cancer, diagnostics, antibiotics, antifungal, opthalmics, enzyme and vaccine, but also provide wide choice of delivery of medicament to various routes like pulmonary, oral, vaginal, brain, transdermal with advantage of low cost, greater stability, purity of raw and ease of storage. Liposomes are one among the various drug delivery systems used to target the drug to the particular tissue. Because there is a structure similarity between the lipid bilayer and cell membrane, liposome can penetrate effectively deliver drug such that a free drug would not penetrate.

The success of liposomes as drug carrier has been reflected in a number of liposome-based formulation, which are commercially available or are currently undergoing clinical trials.

KEYWORDS: Liposomes, structural component of liposomes, preparation of liposomes.