A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON NIOSOMES IN MODERN PHARMACEUTICS AS ADVANCED VESICULAR CARRIERS: FROM MOLECULAR DESIGN TO CLINICAL POTENTIAL

Niosomes are advanced non-ionic surfactant-based vesicular nanocarriers that have gained significant attention in modern pharmaceutics due to their ability to improve drug solubility, stability, bioavailability, and therapeutic efficiency. These vesicles consist mainly of non-ionic surfactants and cholesterol, forming a bilayer structure capable of encapsulating hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and amphiphilic drugs. Their advantages, including improved chemical stability, low cost, ease of preparation, and controlled drug release, make them attractive alternatives to conventional drug delivery systems. Recent advances in molecular design, formulation optimization, and surface modification have expanded their applications in ocular, transdermal, topical, oral, anticancer, vaccine, and targeted drug delivery. Different preparation approaches allow control over vesicle size, drug loading, and release behaviour, while advanced characterization techniques ensure evaluation of formulation quality and stability. Despite promising pharmaceutical applications, challenges related to large-scale manufacturing, stability, regulatory approval, and clinical translation remain. This review highlights recent developments in niosomal technology, focusing on molecular design, formulation components, preparation methods, characterization approaches, therapeutic applications, and future perspectives in modern drug delivery.