Title:An Overview of Transferosomal Technology
Volume: 15
Issue: 1
Author(s): Neha Kumari and Sumit Sharma*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutics, University Institute of Pharma Sciences, Chandigarh University, Gharuan, Punjab, India
Keywords:
Transferosomes , liposome, niosome, transdermal, drug delivery, ultra-deformable liposomes, edge-activators.
Abstract: Ever since the invention of liposomes by Bangham in 1963, researchers have been fascinated
by the vesicular carriers. Liposomes and niosomes have been used extensively by researchers
for various routes such as oral and nasal. However, lately, it has been understood that traditional
liposomes are not very significant when it comes to penetration. The use of nanovesicles in
transdermal drug delivery systems has been enhanced exponentially ever since the discovery of ultra-
deformable liposomes known as transfersomes or transferosomes. Transferosomes have numerous
advantages, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, flexibility, and deformability, so that
they can pass through narrow constrictions. They have good entrapment efficiency and can act as
a depot to sustain the release of drugs. The methods of preparation include the rotary film evaporation
method, reverse phase evaporation method, vortexing sonication method, ethanol injection
method, and freeze-thaw method. Transfersomes are characterized by particle size, zeta potential,
polydispersity index, surface morphology, and encapsulation efficiency. Transferosomes have
been successfully exploited for the enhancement of efficacy of many drugs like Hydroquinone,
Itraconazole, Ivabradine, lornoxicam, minoxidil etc., via transdermal and nasal routes. The technology
is easy to scale up. Consequently, it can be inferred that transfersomes are the future of transdermal
drug delivery systems.
