Recent Advances in Liposomal Drug Delivery: A Review

Since the discovery of liposomes, the drug delivery technology has made a tremendous advancement in the field of medicine. Owing to their biocompatibility, efficacy, targeting ability and improved in vivo performance, liposomes has become popular as versatile drug carrier systems. Controlled and sustained drug release, lowered systemic toxicity and improved pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of drug are the potential applications of liposomal drug delivery. Drugs encapsulated in liposomes can be targeted actively and passively to the tumor specific site with improved efficacy and reduced off-target effects. Development of multifunctional liposomes for targeting cell organelles, long acting (PEGylated) and with combination of drugs is a hot-topic of current research. In recent years, the focus of liposomal technology has been on the combined applications of diagnostics and therapeutics. The present work reviews the liposomal drug delivery field, summarizes the success of liposomal technology in translation from concept to clinical acceptance and recent developments in the delivery of anti-fungal, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer drugs.