Abstract
The flexibility of liposomal carriers does not just simply rely on their capability to encapsulate various types of therapeutic substances, but also on the large array of components used for designing liposome-based nanoformulations. Each of their components plays a very specific role in the formulation and can be easily replaced whenever a different therapeutic effect is desired. It is tempting to describe this by an analogy to Lego blocks, since a whole set of structures, differing in their features, can be designed using a certain pool of blocks. In this review, we focus on different design strategies, where a broad variety of liposomal components facilitates the attainment of straightforward control over targeting and drug release, which leads to the design of the most promising systems for drug delivery. The key aspects of this block-based architecture became evident after its implementation in our recent works on liposomal carriers of antisense oligonucleotides and statins, which are described in the last chapter of this review.
Highlights
Liposomes are a broadly studied and constantly refined drug delivery system that provides great bioavailability, high biocompatibility, prolonged circulation time, and various targeting possibilities
Based on our studies on modular liposomal carriers designed for genetic drugs or statins, we provide a unique example of taking advantage of block-based architecture in fine-tuning drug delivery
Formulations that included cholesterol showed a different pattern, as those consisting of DSPC (18 carbons in the acyl chain) displayed better stability and decreased leakage of the hydrophilic drug inulin than liposomes composed of either DPPC (16 carbons) or 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) (14 carbons) [51]
Summary
Liposomes are a broadly studied and constantly refined drug delivery system that provides great bioavailability, high biocompatibility, prolonged circulation time, and various targeting possibilities. There is hardly any direct comparison of the drug encapsulation and release efficiency between liposomal systems and NLC/SLN, they seem to have similar stability, as tested after 3 months by Mennini et al while analyzing different formulations designed for the transdermal delivery of oxaprozin. In these experiments, liposomal formulations showed better permeability through both artificial lipophilic membranes and human skin than NLC dispersions [9]. Based on our studies on modular liposomal carriers designed for genetic drugs or statins, we provide a unique example of taking advantage of block-based architecture in fine-tuning drug delivery
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