Liposomes in Panoramic View: From Structural Engineering to Clinical Translation in Advanced Therapeutics

Liposomes, as biosimilary stealth nanocarriers composed of phospholipid bilayers, have become a core technological platform for breaking through traditional drug delivery bottlenecks due to their unique structural features (ability to encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs), excellent biocompatibility, and high functional designability. This review systematically summarizes the current research progress of liposomes. First, the composition and classification of liposomes are analyzed and summarized based on particle size and vesicle structure, clarifying the intrinsic link between structural characteristics and application requirements. Second, the main preparation strategies such as Thin-Film Hydration Method, Reverse phase evaporation technique, Ether injection method, and Microfluidic method are evaluated and compared. Third, the research progress of liposome delivery systems is described in detail, including conventional liposomes, targeted liposomes, long-circulating liposomes, and stimuli-responsive liposomes. Fourth, the research progress and clinical applications of liposomes are elaborated in detail, including their transformation achievements and key milestones in fields such as anti-tumor, anti-infection, anti-fungal, gene therapy, and vaccine delivery. The challenges and development trends faced by current research frontiers are also analyzed.