Advances in drug delivery system based on liposome-composite hydrogel microspheres

Abstract

Research on liposome-composite hydrogel microspheres (LHMs) drug delivery systems, primarily composed of drugs, liposomes, and hydrogels, has garnered growing scientific interest. LHMs exhibit biosafety, modifiability, a wide range of loaded drug categories (water-soluble or fat-soluble), controlled and sustainable drug releasing capability, and specific cell-targeted performance, which compensates for the shortcomings of conventional drug delivery methods due to the complementary advantages of liposome and hydrogel microspheres. In this review, we systematically analyze the existing literature on LHMs and provide a comprehensive overview of their preparation methods. Specifically, we detail the fabrication techniques for liposomes, including thin-film hydration, solvent injection, multiple emulsion, reverse-phase evaporation, gradient, freeze-drying, supercritical fluid, and microfluidic approaches, as well as the methodologies for LHMs, such as microfluidics, electrospraying, 3D printing, reverse-phase microemulsion, and physical adsorption. We also conclude the optimization approaches of entire LHMs properties when to combine liposomes and hydrogel microspheres. At last, we presented the applications and challenges of LHMs. We hope this review could foster more insights on LHMs in drug delivery fields.