Review on drug delivery applications of ethosomes: Current developments and prospects

Abstract

Transdermal drug delivery system networks are primarily affected by poor penetration of therapeutically active compounds. The stratum corneum (SC) is the foremost barrier of the skin, which restricts the permeation of the drug molecule. In this context, to date, numerous approaches have been implemented to overcome the SC barrier limitations. Out of this, few advanced approaches including liposomes, niosomes, ethosomes, and transferosomes are majorly used to boost the permeation of drug and cosmetic agents across the SC barrier. Among these vesicles, ethosomes are stand out as the best substitute for topical drug delivery. In a nutshell, ethosomes are the elastic nanosized, stable vesicles that contain phospholipid and high content of ethanol that interacts with the polar head domain of the lipid molecules and decline the SC lipid melting point. Finally, it increases lipid fluidity plus cell membrane permeability. In this segment, this review gives the recent updates of ethosomes based on several pharmaceutical dosage forms such as ethosomal gels, creams, and patches. In addition, updated patents on ethosomes are also discussed in brief. In conclusion, ethosome is an ideal carrier for the delivery of drugs, cosmetic agents, etc., and can be used as a replacement for traditionally used pharmaceutical applications.