Glycerosomes: a new tool for effective drug delivery

Abstract

Glycerosomes are lipid nanovesicles made up mostly of phospholipids and glycerol but may also contain cholesterol, surfactants, or polymers such as gelatin, cyclodextrin, hyaluronic acid, chitosan, and others. Glycerosomes outperform liposomes in terms of encapsulation efficiency, shelf-life, penetration to deeper layers of skin, cheap cost, and ease of scaling at room temperature. Glycerosomes have been utilized to deliver drugs via topical, oral, intranasal, pulmonary, and ophthalmic routes. It has been widely used as a potential noninvasive method for drug delivery via the dermal and transdermal pathways for localized and systemic action. Glycerosomes have been utilized in formulations to treat illnesses such as melanoma, wounds, infections, and as cosmetics and skincare products. Therefore, glycerosomes may be a novel method to construct drug delivery systems with better performance and remarkable outcomes. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.