Niosomes: Potential Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery

Niosomes are novel vesicular drug delivery systems, where the solution is surrounded by non-ionic surfactant vesicles. The niosomes offer different benefits over the traditional drug delivery system. Niosomes are structurally similar to liposomes, as they also consist of a bilayer. In the case of niosomes, the bilayer consists of non-ionic surface-active agents instead of phospholipids, as seen in liposomes. Niosomes are much more stable during the process of formulation and storage, as compared to liposomes. Niosomes may resolve the issues of insolubility, volatility, poor bioavailability, and rapid drug degradation. It has been discovered in recent years that, these vesicles can enhance drug bioavailability and can act as a new strategy to deliver many conventional therapeutic agents, such as, protein drugs, and gene materials. It is also easy to prepare and scale up this novel delivery system with low production costs. The delivery of drugs via niosomal formulations may be relevant to several pharmacological agents for their activity against different diseases. The present review provides an overview about the advantages and disadvantages, fabrication techniques, types, characterization technique, and different applications of niosomes.