Abstract

Today, liposomes are among the most applied technologies for the encapsulation and delivery of bioactive agents and many different compounds in biological, pharmaceutical, medical and nutritional research. In this review, classification of liposomal vesicles, methods of their preparation and encapsulation, as well as their applications in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries are reviewed. In addition, the main analytical approaches used to study liposome characteristics such as size, transition temperature, surface charge, fluidity, lamellarity, stability and encapsulation efficiency are presented. In the final part of the article, mechanisms of liposome targeting are discussed.

Keywords: Liposome composition, liposome production, oxidative stabilization, encapsulation efficiency, liposome targeting, release mechanisms, liposome characterization, liposome stability, transition temperature, passive trapping, active trapping