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Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery

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A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 58820

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lucimara Gaziola de la Torre

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Guest Editor

Department of Materials and Bioprocesses Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-970, Brazil
Interests: liposome; microfluidics; drug delivery; gene vaccines; drug screening
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Mariano Michelon

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Guest Editor

School of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande, 96203900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
Interests: liposome; microfluidics; food emulsion; rheology; encapsulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Liposome technology has evolved over the last few decades, particularly since 1965 when Bangham established a laboratory protocol to produce liposomes to be used as membrane models. Over time, the versatility of this supramolecular structure was explored as a drug delivery system. After different applications, liposome synthesis became a challenge on an industrial scale. Then, different challenges emerged to make liposome synthesis feasible in pharmaceutical products. Based on the traditional knowledge of liposomes, advanced lipid nanostructures have been developed to deliver different drugs and genes. This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in liposome synthesis, encapsulation of drugs and genes, and advanced strategies to generate smart and hybrid lipid-nanosystems.

This Special Issue will be covered by topics that focus on the new trends in liposome synthesis, hybrid nanostructures, and smart delivery nanosystems, as:

Liposome technologies for pharmaceutical production;
Emerging techniques of preparation and drug encapsulation;
Recent liposome application in different diseases, gene therapy;
Smart nanovesicles;
Lipid nanoparticles for gene delivery;
Engineered liposomes;
Hybrid lipid nanostructures;
Exosome-like vesicles;
Association between liposomes and macromolecules.

Prof. Dr. Lucimara Gaziola de la Torre
Prof. Dr. Mariano Michelon
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

liposome
encapsulation
gene therapy
nanovesicles
drug delivery systems
hybrid lipid nanostructures
lipid vesicles association with hydrogels

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 3349 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis & Evaluation of Novel Mannosylated Neoglycolipids for Liposomal Delivery System Applications

by Leila Mousavifar, Jordan D. Lewicky, Alexis Taponard, Rahul Bagul, Madleen Rivat, Shuay Abdullayev, Alexandrine L. Martel, Nya L. Fraleigh, Arnaldo Nakamura, Frédéric J. Veyrier, Hoang-Thanh Le and René Roy

Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(11), 2300; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14112300 - 26 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2007

Abstract

Glycosylated NPs, including liposomes, are known to target various receptors involved in cellular carbohydrate transport, of which the mannoside binding receptors are attracting particular attention for their expression on various immune cells, cancers, and cells involved in maintaining central nervous system (CNS) integrity. As part of our interest in NP drug delivery, mannosylated glycoliposomal delivery systems formed from the self-assembly of amphiphilic neoglycolipids were developed, with a C₁₂-alkyl mannopyranoside (ML-C₁₂) being identified as a lead compoundcapable of entrapping, protecting, and improving the delivery of structurally diverse payloads. However, ML-C₁₂ was not without limitations in both the synthesis of the glycolipids, and the physicochemical properties of the resulting glycoliposomes. Herein, the chemical syntheses of a novel series of mannosylated neoglycolipids are reported with the goal of further improving on the previous ML-C₁₂ glyconanoparticles. The current work aimed to use a self-contingent strategy which overcomes previous synthetic limitations to produce neoglycolipids that have one exposed mannose residue, an aromatic scaffold, and two lipid tails with varied alkyl chains. The azido-ending carbohydrates and the carboxylic acid-ending lipid tails were ligated using a new one-pot modified Staudinger chemistry that differed advantageously to previous syntheses. The formation of stable neoglycoliposomes of controllable and ideal sizes (≈100–400 nm) was confirmed via dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Beyond chemical advantages, the present study further aimed to establish potential improvements in the biological activity of the neoglycoliposomes. Concanavalin A (Con A) agglutination studies demonstrated efficient and stable cross-linking abilities dependent on the length of the linkers and lipid tails. The efficacy of the glycoliposomes in improving cytosolic uptake was investigated using Nile Red as probe in immune and cancer cell lines. Preliminary ex vivo safety assessments showed that the mannosylated glycoliposomes are hemocompatible, and non-immunogenic. Finally, using a model peptide therapeutic, the relative entrapment capacity and plasma stability of the optimal glycoliposome delivery system was evaluated and compared to the previous neoglycoliposomes. Overall, the new lead glycoliposome showed improved biological activity over ML-C₁₂, in addition to having several chemical benefits including the lack of stereocenters, a longer linker allowing better sugar availability, and ease of synthesis using novel one-pot modified Staudinger chemistry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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17 pages, 5552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Lipid Shape and Interactions on the Conformation, Dynamics, and Curvature of Ultrasound-Responsive Liposomes

by Hwankyu Lee, Hyungwon Moon and Hyun-Ryoung Kim

Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(7), 1512; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14071512 - 21 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1645

Abstract

We perform coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of bilayers composed of various lipids and cholesterol at their different ratios. Simulations show that cholesterol-lipid interactions restrict the lateral dynamics of bilayers but also promote bilayer curvature, indicating that these opposite effects simultaneously occur and thus cannot significantly influence bilayer stability. In contrast, lyso-lipids effectively pack the vacancy in the bilayer composed of cone-shaped lipids and thus reduce bilayer dynamics and curvature, showing that bilayers are more significantly stabilized by lyso-lipids than by cholesterol, in agreement with experiments. In particular, the bilayer composed of cone-shaped lipids shows higher dynamics and curvature than does the bilayer composed of cylindrical-shaped lipids. To mimic ultrasound, a high external pressure was applied in the direction of bilayer normal, showing the formation of small pores that are surrounded by hydrophilic lipid headgroups, which can allow the release of drug molecules encapsulated into the liposome. These findings help to explain experimental observations regarding that liposomes are more significantly stabilized by lyso-lipids than by cholesterol, and that the liposome with cone-shaped lipids more effectively releases drug molecules upon applying ultrasound than does the liposome with cylindrical-shaped lipids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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19 pages, 5391 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Liposomal Diallyl Disulfide and Oxaliplatin on Proliferation of Colorectal Cancer Cells: In Vitro and In Silico Analysis

by Faris Alrumaihi, Masood Alam Khan, Ali Yousif Babiker, Mohammed Alsaweed, Faizul Azam, Khaled S. Allemailem, Ahmad A. Almatroudi, Syed Rizwan Ahamad, Naif AlSuhaymi, Mahdi H. Alsugoor, Ahmed N. Algefary and Arif Khan

Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(2), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14020236 - 20 Jan 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1844

Abstract

Diallyl disulfide (DADS) is one of the main bioactive organosulfur compounds of garlic, and its potential against various cancer models has been demonstrated. The poor solubility of DADS in aqueous solutions limits its uses in clinical application. The present study aimed to develop a novel formulation of DADS to increase its bioavailability and therapeutic potential and evaluate its role in combination with oxaliplatin (OXA) in the colorectal cancer system. We prepared and characterized PEGylated, DADS (DCPDD), and OXA (DCPDO) liposomes. The anticancer potential of these formulations was then evaluated in HCT116 and RKO colon cancer cells by different cellular assays. Further, a molecular docking-based computational analysis was conducted to determine the probable binding interactions of DADS and OXA. The results revealed the size of the DCPDD and DCPDO to be 114.46 nm (95% EE) and 149.45 nm (54% EE), respectively. They increased the sensitivity of the cells and reduced the IC₅₀ several folds, while the combinations of them showed a synergistic effect and induced apoptosis by 55% in the cells. The molecular docking data projected several possible targets of DADS and OXA that could be evaluated more precisely by these novel formulations in detail. This study will direct the usage of DCPDD to augment the therapeutic potential of DCPDO against colon cancer in clinical settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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25 pages, 7450 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Safety, Stability, and Therapeutic Efficacy of Long-Circulating TQ-Incorporated Liposomes: Implication in the Treatment of Lung Cancer

by Arif Khan, Mohammed A. Alsahli, Mohammad A. Aljasir, Hamzah Maswadeh, Mugahid A. Mobark, Faizul Azam, Khaled S. Allemailem, Faris Alrumaihi, Fahad A. Alhumaydhi, Ameen S. S. Alwashmi, Ahmed A. Almatroudi, Mahdi H. Alsugoor and Masood A. Khan

Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(1), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14010153 - 09 Jan 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2161

Abstract

Thymoquinone (TQ), which is one of the main bioactive constituents of Nigella sativa seeds, has demonstrated its potential against various cancer models. The poor solubility of TQ in aqueous solution limits its uses in clinical application. The present study aimed to develop a novel formulation of TQ to increase its bioavailability and therapeutic potential with minimal toxicity. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated DSPC/cholesterol comprising TQ liposomes (PEG-Lip-TQ) were prepared and characterized on various aspects. A computational investigation using molecular docking was used to assess the possible binding interactions of TQ with 12 prospective anticancer drug targets. The in vitro anticancer activity was assessed in A549 and H460 lung cancer cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, while the oral acute toxicity assay was evaluated in silico as well as in vivo in mice. TQ docked to the Hsp90 target had the lowest binding energy of −6.05 kcal/mol, whereas caspase 3 was recognized as the least likely target for TQ with a binding energy of −1.19 kcal/mol. The results showed 96% EE with 120 nm size, and −10.85 mv, ζ-potential of PEG-Lip-TQ, respectively. The cell cytotoxicity data demonstrated high sensitivity of PEG-Lip-TQ and a several fold decrease in the IC₅₀ while comparing free TQ. The cell cycle analysis showed changes in the distribution of cells with doses. The in vivo data revealed an ~9-fold increase in the LD₅₀ of PEG-Lip-TQ on free TQ as an estimated 775 and 89.5 mg/kg b.w, respectively. This study indicates that the pharmacological and efficacy profile of PEG-lip-TQ is superior to free TQ, which will pave the way for an exploration of the effect of TQ formulation in the treatment of lung cancer in clinical settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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16 pages, 4310 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Potential of Optimized Liposomes in Enhancement of Cytotoxicity and Apoptosis of Encapsulated Egyptian Propolis on Hep-2 Cell Line

by Enas Alaa El-din Abd El-aziz, Sherif Farouk Elgayar, Fatma M. Mady, Mohammed A. S. Abourehab, Omiya Ali Hasan, Lamis M. Reda and Eman Alaaeldin

Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(12), 2184; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13122184 - 17 Dec 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2646

Abstract

Purpose: Development of pharmaceutical dosage forms of natural products has gained great interest recently. Propolis is a natural product with various active compounds and multiple pharmacological activities. Its resinous nature and low bioavailability were obstacles in the optimum use of this magnificent natural product. Aim: This study evaluates the effect of using liposomes as a drug delivery system on the enhancement of the cytotoxic effect of propolis on squamous cell carcinoma cell lines (Hep-2) of head and neck. Methods: An optimized liposomal formulation of propolis was prepared using the conventional thin film hydration method 1, 2. The prepared (Hep-2) cell line was treated with different concentrations of propolis and optimized propolis liposomes for 24 h. The effect of both propolis and propolis liposomes on cell line was investigated using MTT assay, cytological examination, and nuclear morphometric analysis. The effect of the drugs on the cell apoptosis was evaluated using Annexin V. Results: The findings revealed that both propolis and propolis liposomes have a cytotoxic effect on Hep-2 cell line through induction of apoptosis. The effect was dose dependent. However, a statistically significant enhancement in propolis-mediated apoptosis on Hep-2 cells was elucidated due to encapsulation within the prepared liposomes. Conclusion: Liposome is a powerful tool for enhancing the cytotoxicity of propolis against Hep-2 cell line. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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28 pages, 5691 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tropism of Extracellular Vesicles and Cell-Derived Nanovesicles to Normal and Cancer Cells: New Perspectives in Tumor-Targeted Nucleic Acid Delivery

by Anastasiya Oshchepkova, Oleg Markov, Evgeniy Evtushenko, Alexander Chernonosov, Elena Kiseleva, Ksenia Morozova, Vera Matveeva, Lyudmila Artemyeva, Valentin Vlassov and Marina Zenkova

Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(11), 1911; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13111911 - 11 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2706

Abstract

The main advantage of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a drug carrier system is their low immunogenicity and internalization by mammalian cells. EVs are often considered a cell-specific delivery system, but the production of preparative amounts of EVs for therapeutic applications is challenging due to their laborious isolation and purification procedures. Alternatively, mimetic vesicles prepared from the cellular plasma membrane can be used in the same way as natural EVs. For example, a cytoskeleton-destabilizing agent, such as cytochalasin B, allows the preparation of membrane vesicles by a series of centrifugations. Here, we prepared cytochalasin-B-inducible nanovesicles (CINVs) of various cellular origins and studied their tropism in different mammalian cells. We observed that CINVs derived from human endometrial mesenchymal stem cells exhibited an enhanced affinity to epithelial cancer cells compared to myeloid, lymphoid or neuroblastoma cancer cells. The dendritic cell-derived CINVs were taken up by all studied cell lines with a similar efficiency that differed from the behavior of DC-derived EVs. The ability of cancer cells to internalize CINVs was mainly determined by the properties of recipient cells, and the cellular origin of CINVs was less important. In addition, receptor-mediated interactions were shown to be necessary for the efficient uptake of CINVs. We found that CINVs, derived from late apoptotic/necrotic cells (aCINVs) are internalized by in myelogenous (K562) 10-fold more efficiently than CINVs, and interact much less efficiently with melanocytic (B16) or epithelial (KB-3-1) cancer cells. Finally, we found that CINVs caused a temporal and reversible drop of the rate of cell division, which restored to the level of control cells with a 24 h delay. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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15 pages, 4051 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Topical Triamcinolone Acetonide-Loaded Liposome Formulation Used as an Adjuvant to Intravitreal Ranibizumab Therapy for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

by Jose Navarro-Partida, Juan Carlos Altamirano-Vallejo, Luis Abraham Aceves Franco, Jesús Gonzalez-Cortes, Sergio Hernandez-Da Mota, Jose Gerardo García-Aguirre, Carlos David Azuara-Galindo, Carlos Rodrigo Castro-Castaneda, Juan Armendariz-Borunda and Arturo Santos

Pharmaceutics 2021, 13(9), 1491; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13091491 - 17 Sep 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2793

Abstract

Novel strategies have been developed to reduce or avoid intravitreal injections (IVTs) of the antiangiogenic (ranibizumab (RBZ)) and anti-inflammatory (triamcinolone acetonide (TA)) agents used to treat vitreoretinal diseases. One of the strategies includes liposomes. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of a topical triamcinolone-loaded liposome formulation (TALF) as an adjuvant to intravitreal RBZ therapy in treatment- naïve patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Subjects were randomly assigned to the RBZ-TALF or the RBZ-pro re nata (RBZ-PRN) groups. Patients from the RBZ-TALF group were instructed to apply TALF for 12 months after a single dose of RBZ. Patients from the RBZ-PRN group received three monthly RBZ-IVTs. Retreatment with RBZ was considered in the case of nAMD reactivation. Regarding safety, non-ocular abnormalities were observed during TALF therapy. Concerning efficacy, non-significant differences were identified in terms of visual acuity or central foveal thickness when the RBZ-PRN and RBZ-TALF groups were compared. It is worth noting that the average number of RBZ injections was significantly lower in the RBZ-TALF group (2.5 ± 1.4 vs. 6.1 ± 1.3 IVTs; p = 0.0004). Therefore, TALF used as an adjuvant to RBZ reduces the need for RBZ-IVT retreatment with optimal visual and anatomic results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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Review

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25 pages, 1633 KiB

Open AccessReview

Biomimetic Nanovesicles—Sources, Design, Production Methods, and Applications

by Marcel Franco Mougenot, Vanessa Sousa Pereira, Ana Letícia Rodrigues Costa, Marcelo Lancellotti, Marimelia Aparecida Porcionatto, Juliano Coelho da Silveira and Lucimara Gaziola de la Torre

Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(10), 2008; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14102008 - 22 Sep 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3235

Abstract

Despite all the progress in the field of liposomes and nanoparticles for applications as drug and gene delivery systems, the specific targeting and immune system escape capabilities of these systems are still limited. Biomimetic nanovesicles emerged as a strategy to overcome these and other limitations associated with synthetic carriers, such as short circulation time, cytotoxicity, and difficulty in crossing biological barriers, since many of the desirable abilities of drug delivery systems are innate characteristics of biological vesicles. Thus, the question arises: would biomimetic nanovesicles be responsible for addressing these advances? It is currently known that biomimetic nanovesicles (BNV) can combine the intrinsic advantages of natural materials with the well-known production methods and controllability of synthetic systems. Besides, the development of the biotechnology and nanotechnology fields has provided a better understanding of the functionalities of biological vesicles and the means for the design and production of biomimetic nanovesicles (BNV). Based on this, this work will focus on tracking the main research on biomimetic nanovesicles (BNV) applied as drug and gene delivery systems, and for vaccines applications. In addition, it will describe the different sources of natural vesicles, the technical perspectives on obtaining them, and the possibility of their hybridization with synthetic liposomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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29 pages, 7583 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Liposome-Tethered Gold Nanoparticles Triggered by Pulsed NIR Light for Rapid Liposome Contents Release and Endosome Escape

by Anisha Veeren, Maria O. Ogunyankin, Jeong Eun Shin and Joseph A. Zasadzinski

Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(4), 701; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14040701 - 25 Mar 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3077

Abstract

Remote triggering of contents release with micron spatial and sub-second temporal resolution has been a long-time goal of medical and technical applications of liposomes. Liposomes can sequester a variety of bioactive water-soluble ions, ligands and enzymes, and oligonucleotides. The bilayer that separates the liposome interior from the exterior solution provides a physical barrier to contents release and degradation. Tethering plasmon-resonant, hollow gold nanoshells to the liposomes, or growing gold nanoparticles directly on the liposome exterior, allows liposome contents to be released by nanosecond or shorter pulses of near-infrared light (NIR). Gold nanoshells or nanoparticles strongly adsorb NIR light; cells, tissues, and physiological media are transparent to NIR, allowing penetration depths of millimeters to centimeters. Nano to picosecond pulses of NIR light rapidly heat the gold nanoshells, inducing the formation of vapor nanobubbles, similar to cavitation bubbles. The collapse of the nanobubbles generates mechanical forces that rupture bilayer membranes to rapidly release liposome contents at the preferred location and time. Here, we review the syntheses, characterization, and applications of liposomes coupled to plasmon-resonant gold nanostructures for delivering a variety of biologically important contents in vitro and in vivo with sub-micron spatial control and sub-second temporal control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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49 pages, 8771 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Methods of Liposomes Preparation: Formation and Control Factors of Versatile Nanocarriers for Biomedical and Nanomedicine Application

by Domenico Lombardo and Mikhail A. Kiselev

Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(3), 543; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14030543 - 28 Feb 2022

Cited by 117 | Viewed by 26690

Abstract

Liposomes are nano-sized spherical vesicles composed of an aqueous core surrounded by one (or more) phospholipid bilayer shells. Owing to their high biocompatibility, chemical composition variability, and ease of preparation, as well as their large variety of structural properties, liposomes have been employed in a large variety of nanomedicine and biomedical applications, including nanocarriers for drug delivery, in nutraceutical fields, for immunoassays, clinical diagnostics, tissue engineering, and theranostics formulations. Particularly important is the role of liposomes in drug-delivery applications, as they improve the performance of the encapsulated drugs, reducing side effects and toxicity by enhancing its in vitro- and in vivo-controlled delivery and activity. These applications stimulated a great effort for the scale-up of the formation processes in view of suitable industrial development. Despite the improvements of conventional approaches and the development of novel routes of liposome preparation, their intrinsic sensitivity to mechanical and chemical actions is responsible for some critical issues connected with a limited colloidal stability and reduced entrapment efficiency of cargo molecules. This article analyzes the main features of the formation and fabrication techniques of liposome nanocarriers, with a special focus on the structure, parameters, and the critical factors that influence the development of a suitable and stable formulation. Recent developments and new methods for liposome preparation are also discussed, with the objective of updating the reader and providing future directions for research and development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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31 pages, 4598 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Advanced Microfluidic Technologies for Lipid Nano-Microsystems from Synthesis to Biological Application

by Bruna G. Carvalho, Bruno T. Ceccato, Mariano Michelon, Sang W. Han and Lucimara G. de la Torre

Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(1), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14010141 - 07 Jan 2022

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 7650

Abstract

Microfluidics is an emerging technology that can be employed as a powerful tool for designing lipid nano-microsized structures for biological applications. Those lipid structures can be used as carrying vehicles for a wide range of drugs and genetic materials. Microfluidic technology also allows the design of sustainable processes with less financial demand, while it can be scaled up using parallelization to increase production. From this perspective, this article reviews the recent advances in the synthesis of lipid-based nanostructures through microfluidics (liposomes, lipoplexes, lipid nanoparticles, core-shell nanoparticles, and biomimetic nanovesicles). Besides that, this review describes the recent microfluidic approaches to produce lipid micro-sized structures as giant unilamellar vesicles. New strategies are also described for the controlled release of the lipid payloads using microgels and droplet-based microfluidics. To address the importance of microfluidics for lipid-nanoparticle screening, an overview of how microfluidic systems can be used to mimic the cellular environment is also presented. Future trends and perspectives in designing novel nano and micro scales are also discussed herein. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends on Liposome Technology: From Emerging Synthesis Strategies to Advanced Lipid Nanosystems for Drug Delivery)

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