Liposomes are simple microscopic vesicles in which an aqueous volume is entirely enclosed by a membrane composed of lipid molecules. As drug carriers, liposomes can be loaded with a great variety of molecules, such as small drug molecules, proteins, nucleotides, and even plasmids. Please visit https://liposomes.bocsci.com for more information.

1. Liposomes
The Most Promising Drug Delivery Systems

2. INTRODUCTION
ª Liposomes are simple microscopic
ª Structurally, liposomes are concentric bilayer vesicles in which an
aqueous volume is entirely enclosed by membranous lipid bilayers
mainly composed of natural or synthetic phospholipids.
ª The chemical composition, structure, and colloidal size of liposomes
can be flexibly changed by modifying the preparation method.
ª Liposomes can be manufactured in different sizes, from a few
nanometers to micrometers.
ª Liposomes can be used as drug carriers loaded with a great variety of
molecules, such as small drug molecules, proteins, nucleotides, and
plasmids.
Liposome

3. COMPONENTS OF LIPOSOMES
Liposome membrane can be composed of natural or
artificial phospholipids, and its properties completely
depend on the phospholipids used. The basic components of
liposomes are phospholipids stabilized by cholesterol, and
sometimes other stabilizers are added to the mixture
according to the specific use of the liposomes.
Main component:
ª Phospholipids
ª Cholesterol
Liposome

4. COMPONENTS OF LIPOSOMES
Phospholipids
• Each phospholipid molecule has 3 major parts: 1 head & 2 tails.
Ø Head: made from 3 molecular components: choline, phosphate
& glycerol
Ø Tails: each with a hydrophobic long chain
Commonly used phospholipids
Liposome
ª Natural
Phosphatidylcholine (PC)
Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)
Phosphatidylserine (PS)
ª Synthetic
Dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine (DOPC)
Disteroyl phosphatidylcholine (DSPC)
Dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE)
Distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE)
Hydrophobic tail nonpolar
carbon chains
Drugs
Hydroliphic head
polar region

5. COMPONENTS OF LIPOSOMES
Cholesterol
$Steroid used in liposome formulation
$Improve fluidity and reduce permeability of bilayer
membrane in the presence of biological fluids, such as
blood/plasma.
$Liposomes without cholesterol prematurely release
entrapped drugs.
Liposome

6. APPLICATIONS OF LIPOSOMES
• Drug delivery systems
ª Gene therapeutics
ª Protein carriers in immunology
ª Intracellular drug delivery
ª Site-specific targeting delivery
ª Sustained or controlled delivery
ª Formulation aid
• Chelation therapy for heavy metal poisoning
• Tumor diagnostic imaging
• Membrane studies
• Cosmetics
Liposome

7. ADVANTAGES OF LIPOSOMES
ª Suitable for delivering of hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and amphipathic drugs
and agents.
ª Improvement and control over drug pharmacokinetics and
pharmacodynamics (reduced elimination, increased circulation lifetime).
ª Increase efficacy and therapeutic index of encapsulated drugs.
ª Increase drug stability by encapsulation.
ª Flexibility to couple with site-specific ligands to achieve active targeting.
ª Provide localized action in particular tissues.
ª Reduce toxicity of encapsulated drugs.
ª Facilitat transport across membranes.
ª Naturally occurring lipids are non-toxic and biodegradable.
Liposom
e

8. Liposom
e
CLASSIFICATION OF LIPOSOMES
Based on size and number of bilayers
ª Unilamellar (UV) –all size range
ª Small unilamellar (SUV) -20-100 nm
ª Medium unilamellar (MUV)
ª Large unilamellar (LUV) ->100 nm
ª Giant unilamellar (GUV) ->1 um
ª Multi-lamellar vesicles (MLV) 0.5 nm
ª Oligolamellar vesicles (OLV)
ª Multi vesicular (MV) ->1 um

9. Liposome
CLASSIFICATION OF LIPOSOMES
Based on composition and application
ª Conventional Liposomes (CL)
ª pH-Sensitive Liposomes
ª Cationic liposomes
ª Long-circulating Liposomes (LCL)
ª Thermally Sensitive Liposomes (TSLs)
ª Magnetic Liposomes
ª PEGylated Liposomes

10. MECHANISM OF
LIPOSOME DRUG
DELIVERY
Liposomes encapsulate the solution inside the
hydrophobic membrane. Dissolved hydrophilic solutes
cannot easily pass through lipids, and hydrophobic
chemicals can be dissolved into the membrane. In this
way, liposomes can carry both hydrophobic and
hydrophilic molecules. To deliver molecules to the site of
action, liposomes’ lipid bilayer can be fused with other
bilayers, such as cell membranes, thus delivering the
contents.
Liposome

11. Comprehensive one-stop-shop
for all aspects of liposome
research and development
LIPOSOME
FORMULATION
DEVELOPMENT
Liposome
BOC Sciences
Based on advanced technologies
and years of experience, BOC
Sciences offers a variety of
custom services to promote your
liposome program.
Liposome Services
BOC Sciences offers a variety of services to
promote your liposome projects, including
liposomal formulation development, encapsulation,
characterization, scale-up, and other types of
liposome services.

12. LIPOSOME PRODUCTS
BOC Sciences provides a variety of prefabricated liposome products and
reagents to researchers working on liposomal drug delivery, including
prefabricated anionic liposomes, clodronate liposomes, cationic liposomes,
and ATP-liposomes.
FEATURES
ª Highest quality lipid materials
ª Guaranteed batch-to-batch consistency and repeatability
ª Easy to use
ª Save time and cost and improve productivity and reliability of R&D
Liposom
e

13. : 45-16 Ramsey Road, Shirley, NY 11967, USA
 : 1-631-504-6093
 : info@bocsci.com
: https://liposomes.bocsci.com/
BOC Sciences provides a full range of liposome
services and products to help your liposome
formulation development and drug delivery research.