Improving ocular drug delivery with liposomes

Due to their constant exposure to the outside environment, eyes have developed a series of protective barriers to keep foreign compounds out. These barriers can make it challenging to deliver drugs to treat ocular diseases. Conventional delivery methods often require frequent dosing or invasive procedures. As an alternative, nanocarriers such as liposomes could be used to reduce the limitations of these physiological barriers for more effective treatment options.

Tang et al. provided an overview of the properties of liposomes as drug delivery systems, their applications in treating ocular diseases, and directions for future research.

“Liposomes have been extensively studied and developed, and many liposome formulations have been approved for marketing. However, the application of liposomes in eye diseases needs further research,” said author Fang Cheng.

Drug delivery to the anterior part of the eye typically involves local administration via eyedrops or ointments, which are fast and simple to administer. However, these often require frequent dosing, which could lead to side effects. For the posterior part of the eye, drugs are often injected, an invasive and unpleasant procedure.

Encapsulating drugs within liposomes can make drug delivery easier and more accurate, circumventing these problems.

“Liposomes could improve drug permeability, allowing drugs to reach eye tissues more efficiently, and they could reduce toxic side effects and irritation to eye tissue,” said Cheng. “By surface-modifying targeted ligands, liposomes could cross the blood-eye barrier for precise drug delivery.”

With additional studies, the authors believe that liposomes could one day allow topically administered drugs to reach the posterior segment of the eye, eliminating the need for many invasive injections.

“Meanwhile, the frequency of administration can be greatly reduced due to release in sustained manners,” said Cheng.

Source: “Applications and latest research progress of liposomes in the treatment of ocular diseases,” by Huan Tang, Xinnan Li, Lin Jin, Jicheng Dong, Li Yang, Chunmei Li, Lijun Zhang, and Fang Cheng, Biointerphases (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0004159 .

This paper is part of the Special Topic Collection: Biointerface Science in China 2024, learn more here .