Transfersome: A Novel Vesicular Transdermal Delivery System

Delivery of novel drugs via the transdermal route provides many benefits over traditional delivery. Drug delivery with the help of nanocarriers, such as transfersomes, is considered a promising tool in pharmaceutical research because it is safe and convenient. It provides a long duration of the activity, minimizes the adverse effect, and avoids first-pass metabolism. Furthermore, it enhances pharmacological and physiological response, and the use of penetration enhancers and non-ionic surfactant vesicles have been applied to increase the efficiency of material transfer across the intact skin. However, the inability to penetrate the barrier properties of the stratum corneum and deliver large molecules are some of its limitations. Therefore, drugs are loaded in transfersomes to resolve these problems. Transfersome is a type of vesicle that is ultradeformable or elastic. It is commonly used to provide efficient transdermal delivery of bioactives as a novel carrier. It offers better penetration of intact vesicles, owing to its higher deformability. Transfersomes have a hydrophobic and hydrophilic framework; thus, they are able to accommodate drug molecules with a wide degree of solubility. Transfersomes are made from natural phospholipids and possess high entrapment ability, which makes them biocompatible and biodegradable. In this chapter, we have focused on transfersomes as novel drug delivery systems for targeted delivery of therapeutics, as well as important issues related to and challenges for future clinical applications.

Keywords: Bioactive, Nanocarrier, Penetration, Stratum corneum, Transfersomes.