Nanohybrid cerasomes as silica lipid carriers for targeted therapeutics

Nanohybrid cerasomes are innovative hybrid nanoparticles merging the structural stability of a ceramic-like polysiloxane shell and biocompatibility of a liposomal bilayer. This extraordinary combination enhances their stability, controlled drug release and surface modification capability, making them promising candidates for drug delivery and biomedical applications. Initially developed using sol-gel techniques, cerasomes have appeared as multifunctional nanoplatforms for targeted drug delivery, cancer diagnostics, imaging and theranostics. The targeting effectiveness of cerasomes is enhanced due to the capability of encapsulation of both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs, in addition to surface modifications including ligand conjugation, pH responsiveness and redox sensitivity. Moreover, cerasomes show greater mechanical stability, prolonged circulation time, improved cellular uptake and controlled degradation behaviour, aiding their application in gene delivery, vaccine delivery and diagnostic imaging. This review summarizes the historical evolution, classification, structure, synthesis methods, surface modification approaches and biomedical applications of nanohybrid cerasomes. It also discusses recent advances, current limitations related to large-scale production, biocompatibility and regulatory considerations, along with future perspectives for the development of cerasome-based nanomedicine as a next-generation targeted therapeutic system. Not available.