What is liposome used for?
Posted August 22, 2024
Answer
Liposomes have several properties that make them useful as a drug delivery system.
- Liposomes are suitable vehicles for targeted administration of certain medications in anti-tumor therapy. They help to improve the drugs’ bioavailability to target cells and also help to reduce potential toxicity
- The high permeability and similar molecular composition to lipid layers make liposomes ideal for delivery of transdermal drugs.
- Liposomes serve as ideal vehicles for antifungal medications such as foramphotericin B, which is an effective fungicide but its use is limited due to its toxicity. Liposomes dramatically reduce the risk of toxicity by encapsulating the drug and preventing buildup of its toxic components in susceptible organs.
- Liposomes also serve as ideal drug administration vehicles for targeted treatment of parasitic infections.
- In a limited capacity, liposome encapsulation is used to administer potentially toxic antibiotics such as ribavirin and acyclovir intravenously.
Additional resources
Recent Progress in Bioconjugation Strategies for Liposome-Mediated Drug Delivery
Cell Meter™ Intracellular Colorimetric Lipid Peroxidation (MDA) Assay Kit