Title:Localized Delivery of Bioactives using Structured Liposomal Gels
Volume: 29
Issue: 40
Author(s): Deepak Kumar, Kamal Dua*Sanjay Tiwari*
Affiliation:
- Discipline of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales 2007,
Australia
- Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) - Raebareli, Lucknow
226002, India
Keywords:
Liposomes, hydrogel, gelation, dispersion stability, skin disorders, bioactives.
Abstract: Liposomes have gained a lot of interest for drug delivery applications, and some of these preparations
have been commercialized. These are formulated with biocompatible components and can be used for delivering
a wide range of payloads differing in aqueous solubility and molecular weight. Liposome-based delivery
approaches are limited mainly by two factors: (a) poor dispersion stability, and (b) pre-mature leakage of
payloads. In this review, we have discussed the stabilization of liposomal vesicles by their entrapment in hydrogels.
Studies reveal that such hydrogels can maintain the structural integrity of liposomes. Release of liposomes
from the hydrogel network can be modulated through careful screening of matrix former and degree of
its cross-linking. Accordingly, we have reviewed the approaches of stabilizing liposomal vesicles through entrapment
in hydrogels. Application of liposome-embedded hydrogels has been reviewed in context of localized
drug delivery. Our discussion is focussed on the delivery of bioactives to the skin. Such an approach appears
alluring from the standpoint of minimizing the undesirable distribution of payload(s) the systemic circulation
and off-target sites.