Asian Journal of Pharmacy and Technology

Vaccines are still the most effective way of preventing infectious diseases. Through vaccination, the immune system is exposed to the antigen so that its response will increase in subsequent exposure. Liposomes were first reported as a vaccine carrier in 1974 by Allison and Gregoriardis. Liposomes are chosen as carriers in a vaccine delivery system because they are made from natural, biodegradable, nontoxic and non-immunogenic phospholipids. The effectiveness of liposome formulation depends on various physicochemical factors such as vesicle size, surface charge, bilayer composition, coating, route of administration, adjuvant usage, encapsulation efficiency, and ultimately dependent on the lipid composition used. DDA (dietildioctadecylammonium) is one of the major lipid components in the vaccine adjuvant system because of its cationic nature, but DDA has a weakness in terms of its physical stability. The addition of cholesterol in the liposome composition may improve lipid packing thereby reducing or eliminating the phase transition temperature of the liposome system. APC contains many molecules expressed on the cell surface, which can be utilized in facilitating specific liposome targeting.