Remote loading in liposome: a review of current strategies and recent developments

Abstract

Liposomes have gained prominence as nanocarriers in drug delivery, and the number of products in the market is increasing steadily, particularly in cancer therapeutics. Remote loading of drugs in liposomes is a significant step in the translation and commercialization of the first liposomal product. Low drug loading and drug leakage from liposomes is a translational hurdle that was effectively circumvented by the remote loading process. Remote loading or active loading could load nearly 100% of the drug, which was not possible with the passive loading procedure. A major drawback of conventional remote loading is that only a very small percentage of the drugs are amenable to this method. Therefore, methods for drug loading are still a problem for several drugs. The loading of multiple drugs in liposomes to improve the efficacy and safety of nanomedicine has gained prominence recently with the introduction of a marketed formulation (Vyxeos) that improves overall survival in acute myeloid leukemia. Different strategies for modifying the remote loading process to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional method are discussed here. The review aims to discuss the latest developments in remote loading technology and its implications in liposomal drug delivery.

Keywords:

• Liposomes
• remote-loading
• nanoparticles
• cancer
• drug-loading
• drug-targeting

Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham for the support provided for the work. Figures were created on www.biorender.com.

Author contributions

MSS, SM, TD were involved in the conception and design, NRM, RG & GR drafted the paper, MSS & RSP revised it critically for intellectual content and approved the final draft; and all authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure statement

TD is working as the President and COO at Jodas Expoim Pvt. Ltd. which manufactures doxorubicin liposomes and other liposomal products. Remaining authors report no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.