Liposomes: Production Methods and Application in Alzheimer's Disease.

ABSTRACT

Liposomes and lipidic vehicles are nanotechnological platforms that are present in the clinic and industry, with extensive application and much potential in the field of therapeutics. Currently, the obstacles associated with the pathology and physiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) in general have rendered it impossible to find an effective therapy for these conditions. The only achievement of the available drugs and treatments is that they have succeeded in temporarily alleviating the symptoms and assisting patients in carrying on with their activities of daily living, but they do not delay, let alone halt, the progression of the diseases. So far, numerous small drug molecules and biological molecules have failed in clinical trials. Liposomes represent a promising option for drug delivery that have yet to be tested in clinical trials. They are manufactured by many different and versatile techniques. Their contribution in AD regards mainly the delivery of bioactive agents in a targeted and controlled manner through the blood-brain barrier and into the brain, with the ultimate goal to block the ß-amyloid (Aß) and/or tau aggregation. Their flexibility and biocompatibility as platforms, combined with their ability to protect the encapsulated/incorporated molecules, are advantages that are expected to assist this endeavor.