Transferosomes for Effective Transdermal Drug Delivery

Recent advancements in drug delivery systems have sparked interest, particularly in vesicular drug delivery.Among these systems, Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems (TDDS) stand out due to skin permeability, allowing small, lipophilic drugs while being impermeable to macromolecules.Ethosomes and transferosomes, ultra-flexible lipid-based elastic vesicles, have been designed to enhance drug delivery.Transferosomes excel in transdermal delivery for both low and high molecular weight drugs, offering advantages like bypassing first-pass metabolism, extended duration of activity, and minimized side effects.Transferosome characterization involves assessing vesicle size, morphology, drug content, entrapment efficiency, penetration ability, occlusion effect, surface charge, in vitro drug release, and in vitro skin penetration.This comprehensive characterization ensures stability of labile drugs and controlled release.Transferosomes, with their unique ability to encapsulate hydrophilic, lipophilic, and amphiphilic pharmaceuticals, demonstrate higher penetration efficiency than traditional liposomes.This review endeavors to offer a comprehensive understanding of transferosomes, encompassing their concept, composition, mode of action, preparation methods, current applications, and potential pros and cons.It serves as a valuable reference for researchers in the drug delivery systems field.