Liposome mediated pulmonary drug delivery system: An updated review

Liposomes are the sphere-shaped vesicles consisting of one or more phospholipid bilayers. Structurally the liposomal vesicles are the bilayered vesicles that consist of a core of aqueous solution and a lipid spheres that contain no aqueous material. They are generally made up of phospholipids. Liposomal drug delivery systems have been widely used in pulmonary drug delivery for multiple applications which includes optimum solubilization of active pharmaceutical agents, prolonged period of drug release. Moreover, the site avoidance and site-specific drug targeting therapy could be achieved by the liposomal drug delivery system, to inhibit the tissue toxicity of many potent drug substances. In this present review, formulation aspects of liposomes, various aerosolization methods and the characterization methods of liposome formulation and an extensive overview of the use of liposomes as a pulmonary drug delivery system for the treatment of diseases like tuberculosis and lung cancer and are discussed. Liposomes can be used as a successful drug carrier in the fields like lung infection, tumor targeting, genetic transfer, immunomodulation, skin, and topical therapy.