Liposomal Formulation Administers Pharmaceuticals More Precisely

By Mayra Pierce


Nanotechnology is a dynamic branch of science that transforms and manipulates substances on a molecular and even atomic level. Liposomes refer to microscopic cellular bubbles made of materials called phospholipids, which are similar to human cell material and are both attracted to and repelled by water. Liposomal formulation helps create these structures for use in the targeted delivery of medication.

The significance of these very small vesicular forms that are able to enclose molecules soluble in water became apparent soon after being introduced during the 1960s. Pharmacists and research scientists became keenly aware of their potential to improve methods of drug delivery when fighting cancer and other serious illness. They encourage more accurate targeting of malicious cells while avoiding issues that plague other forms of administration.

Unlike most other delivery systems, these formulations do not rely on modes of absorption typical to oral or direct IV administration. Conventional delivery can make it harder to manage the effects of specialized drugs, and one common result is the accumulation of toxic materials in other organs, often causing additional and undesired damage. When the medication is placed inside each bubble-like liposome, release can be more easily controlled.

The drug molecules encased within each structure are suspended in water and surrounded by an artificially or naturally created membrane. The formulation of designed liposomes turns them into ideal mechanisms for hydrophilic drugs, or those that are attracted to and become suspended in water. When prepared according to current methods, the structures exist in two primary types, unilammelar or multilammelar. There are subcategories that include different sizes.

The liposomes are made to surround the medications with membranes, and when activated release those molecules into other cells. This can be done by fusing the layers, causing them to interact with adjacent human cells, and releasing medication in the process. Other activation strategies include using specific chemical reactions to encourage molecular diffusion. The end result is a controlled, steady delivery.

Not only can this process be more easily managed by physicians, but it leaves no residual toxins behind, and is compatible biologically with human cells. Comparatively recent developments in ultrasound technology use sound waves to activate these chemical invaders, increasing their strength in regions where it is most needed. Others are being administered via the respiratory system, where they are deposited in the lungs and slowly released.

It is still costly to manufacture these microscopic capsules for medical use. As continuing research produces a growing number of uses for this kind of nanotechnology, the overall expense will decline, but will not become cheap. Because this is relatively new technology in many ways, there are issues that still must be resolved. Some types of structures have experienced cellular leaking, and others have been affected by oxidation.

Like other technologies developed for medicine, liposomes have a growing commercial use. They are being touted as superior methods of delivering vitamin, mineral, and herb formulations, and some individuals today even create their own supplements. While those uses are controversial in some aspects, the creation of new medication delivery and activation systems continues to provide new hope for more effective treatments.




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