Advances in liposomal drug delivery to cancer: An overview

Liposomes are biodegradable and biocompatible lipid bilayer vesicles which are widely exploited as preferred carriers for smart delivery of both hydrophobic as well as hydrophilic bioactives. Structural fabrication of liposomes for ligand anchoring, long-circulation and stimuli-responsiveness are advancing features to meet the needs of clinical and industrial demands. Recent studies report newer developments in multipronged liposomes for synchronized theranostic manifestations in cancer treatment. This review gives an insight to advances in ligand targeted liposomes (like folate, mannose, transferrin, hyaluronic acid, antibody, aptamer, and peptide, etc.), stimuli-triggered liposomes (stimuli such as pH, temperature, and hypoxia, etc.) and liposomes mediated autophagy modulation, and theranostic liposomes for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. It also includes patents, clinical studies and marketed liposomal products. This assemblage of advances would be of great interest to budding scientists and pharmaceutical companies engaged in the development of liposomes.