Chapter 6 - Vesicular drug delivery systems: a novel approach in current nanomedicine

Abstract

Nanomedicines based on vesicular systems are emerging as promising platforms to enhance therapeutic efficacy of drugs already used in clinical practice. Vesicular systems can be opportunely designed to selectively target drug release in the desired pathological areas without any significant harm to healthy tissues. Indeed, different approaches such as passive and active targeting, stimuli responsivity, stealth properties, and drug synergism can be combined in the same device to develop multifunctional tools for personalized therapy. The versatility in the design is also associated with the possibility of using, in their preparation, various molecules such as phospholipids, nonionic surfactants, and polymers. In addition, their potential beneficial use has been largely applied in various medical fields such as cancer therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and diagnostic and transdermal delivery. This chapter reviews the emerging applications of these engineered vesicular systems and discusses their perspective in the near future.