Unleashing the Potential of Spanlastics as Drug Delivery Carrier

Spanlastics, a novel class of vesicular drug delivery systems, have garnered significant attention for their potential to overcome the limitations of traditional drug administration. Comprising non-ionic surfactants and edge activators, spanlastics exhibit unique characteristics such as enhanced deformability, improved stability, and the ability to efficiently encapsulate a wide range of therapeutic compounds. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of spanlastics, highlighting their structure, composition, and key advantages in drug delivery. The distinct mechanism of penetration of spanlastics through biological membranes, along with a comparative analysis against other nanocarriers like liposomes and niosomes, brings out their superior efficacy. Various preparation methods, characterization parameters, and formulation factors influencing their physicochemical properties are discussed. The applications of spanlastics in oral, transdermal, intranasal, and ophthalmic drug delivery systems, along with future development perspectives, are thoroughly examined, emphasizing their potential to revolutionize targeted drug delivery.