Liposomal nanostructures: Properties and applications

Liposome technology has found many successful applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, but limited development of this technology has been found in the food industry. The chapter begins by discussing the processes and mechanisms of the formation of liposomes and the structures of liposomes produced by different methods. Liposomes are a class of well-established drug carriers that have found numerous therapeutic applications. The success of liposomes, together with recent advancements in nanotechnology, has motivated the development of various novel liposome-like nanostructures with improved drug delivery performance. These nanostructures can be categorized into five major varieties, namely: (1) polymer-stabilized liposomes, (2) nanoparticle-stabilized liposomes, (3) core-shell lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles, (4) natural membrane-derived vesicles, and (5) natural membrane-coated nanoparticles. They have received significant attention and have become popular drug delivery platforms. Herein, we discuss the unique strengths of these liposome-like platforms in drug delivery, with a particular emphasis on how liposome-inspired novel designs have led to improved therapeutic efficacy and review recent progress made by each platform in advancing health care.