Medicinal technology is rapidly expanding in modern society. The administration of bodily substances into the system is used to increase the efficacy of common mechanisms; such as drug delivery through the pulmonary system. This function is carried out by small vesicles, called liposomes, composed of a phospholipid bilayer in a spherical shape containing an aqueous center (Albert et al., 2010). Liposomes are used as proficient drug carriers throughout the body as they are capable of delivering drug contents in a controlled and effective manner, reducing the toxicity of the drug released, and have the ability to encapsulate a variety of medicinal compounds.
Liposomes have the capability to release only a requisite amount of the encapsulated drugs to targeted cells, retaining the remaining content until the need arises (Honda, Asai, Oku, Araki, Tanaka & Ebihara, 2013). Drug release is dependent on liposomal stability, and can be controlled through thermostatic regulation. By adding hydrophilic groups to the liposome structure, it can be stabilized to steady the speed at which the drug is released. An article published in the Dove Press discusses a study involving the injection of free and liposome encapsulated salbutamol sulfate (SBS), a medicinal anti-asthmatic drug, into a divided group of male Sprague Dawley rats. The prevalence of the two forms of SBS was observed periodically, over a span of 24 hours following injection. It was shown that free SBS was utilized within the given the 24 hours, while encapsulated SBS was still detected at 48 hours. The study concluded that through a controlled release mechanism, liposomal encapsulation prolongs the presence and effects of drugs on the affected cells (Chen et al., 2012).
Liposomes are conventional in prolonging the effects of encapsulated medication; hence, the required application of the drug is minimized. Due to the lack of repetitive administration, the reduced amount of medication decreases the concentration of toxic chemicals in the bloodstream that are associated with the drug (Chen et al., 2012). Liposomes differ from other forms of drug carrier molecules in that they have a minimal toxicity themselves (Honda et al., 2013). As a result of infrequent administration of the drugs, systematic side effects of the medication are also diminished, increasing the efficacy of the drug and reducing complications.
Medicinal compounds vary in terms of the chemical composition and behaviour. Liposomes have the versatility to carry a vast variety of drugs for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. These lipids consist of three major divisions: the hydrophobic and hydrophilic components of the bilayer and a central aqueous solution (Albert et al., 2010). Hence, they have the ability to entrap