Abstract

APPLICATIONS OF LIPOSOMES IN OPHTHALMIC DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

Balisa Mosisa* and Tadesse Birhanu

ABSTRACT

Drug delivery research to the eye has gathered momentum over the past few years in an attempt to overcome the eyes natural barriers to drugs. Since the eye can be affected by a multitude of diseases such as infections and degeneration, novel modes of targeting disease sites within the eye are required. One way of achieving this is by the incorporation of drugs into liposomes which provide a safe and effective method of drug delivery. Liposomes are microparticulate lipoidal vesicles which are under extensive investigation as drug carriers for improving the delivery of therapeutic agents to different organs including eye. Reformulation of drugs in liposomes has provided an opportunity to enhance the therapeutic indices of various agents mainly through alteration in their biodistribution and their stay at target. This review discusses the potential applications of liposomes in ophthalmic drug delivery with examples of formulations approved for clinical use, and the problems associated with further exploitation of this drug delivery system.

Keywords: Liposomes, delivery, ophthalmic.