Skip to content
2000
image of Ethosomes- Novel Drug Delivery System in Herbal Formulations- A Review

Abstract

A transdermal drug delivery system is a convenient drug delivery system where the drug enters the systemic circulation through the protective barrier, i.e., skin. Ethosomes are the ethanolic phospholipid vesicles, which are mainly used for transdermal delivery of medicines. They are nano-vesicular carriers for the topical application of the drugs. The major components of ethosomes are phospholipids, ethanol at relatively high concentrations (up to 50%), and water. The vesicles' composition and structure enhance their ability to entrap molecules with numerous physicochemical characteristics and bring them to the skin’s deep layers. Because of their enhanced skin penetration, improved drug delivery, and higher drug entrapment efficiency, ethosomes have become more significant in the field of research. Skin acts as a major target and main barrier for topical or transdermal drug delivery and hence several approaches have been developed to weaken this skin barrier. Vesicular systems like ethosomes are the key approaches to increasing the skin penetration of medicines and various cosmetic components. Ethanol has been added to vesicular systems to create elastic nanovesicles because it is an effective penetration enhancer. For stability and simplicity of use, ethosomal dispersions are added to gels, patches, and creams. This review focuses on research using ethosomal formulations containing natural active compounds for the treatment of skin problems that has been done in vitro, in vivo in animal models, and on people in clinical investigations. Ethosomal systems have been shown to effectively control a variety of skin conditions, including bacterial and fungal infections, inflammation, acne vulgaris, arthritis, skin cancer, . Furthermore, ethosomes loaded with various naturally occurring components for cosmetic applications are also reported. The conception of new dermal therapies was made possible by the effective treatments, their good safety profile, and their lack of toxicity or irritation.

© 2025 Bentham Science Publishers
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/cds/10.2174/0115748863382305250725053105
2025-08-06
2025-11-04

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/cds/10.2174/0115748863382305250725053105
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Müller-Goymann C.C. Physicochemical characterization of colloidal drug delivery systems such as reverse micelles, vesicles, liquid crystals and nanoparticles for topical administration. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. 2004 58 2 343 356 15296960
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Zahid S.R. Upmanyu N. Dangi S. Ray S.K. Jain P. Parkhe G. Ethosome: a novel vesicular carrier for transdermal drug delivery. J. Drug Deliv. Ther. 2018 8 6 318 326 10.22270/jddt.v8i6.2028
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Gupta A. Cell based drug delivery system through resealed erythrocyte-A review. Int. J. Pharm. Sci. Drug Res. 2010 2 1 23 30
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Vinod K.R. Critical review on mucoadhesive drug delivery systems. Hygeia J Drugs Med 2012 6 1 7 28
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Arunachalam A. Transdermal drug delivery system: A review. Current Pharma Research 2010 1 1 70 81 10.33786/JCPR.2010.v01i01.015
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Shahwal V.K. Samnani A. Dubey B.K. Bhowmick M. Ethosomes: An Overview. Int. J. Biol. Adv. Res. 2011 2 5 161 168 10.7439/ijbar.v2i5.31
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Leigh C. Anti-aging products for skin, hair and nails: How vitamins, antioxidants and fruit acids keep people looking young. In: NSN. 2000 281
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Gangwar S. Ethosomes: A novel tool for drug delivery through the skin. J Pharm Res 2010 3 4 688 91
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Sharma A. Sharma U.S. Liposomes in drug delivery: Progress and limitations. Int. J. Pharm. 1997 154 2 123 140 10.1016/S0378‑5173(97)00135‑X
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Sharma B. Sonophoresis: An advanced tool in transdermal drug delivery system. Int. J. Curr. Pharm. Res. 2011 3 3 89 97
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Matharoo N. Mohd H. Michniak-Kohn B. Transferosomes as a transdermal drug delivery system: Dermal kinetics and recent developments. Wiley Interdiscip. Rev. Nanomed. Nanobiotechnol. 2024 16 1 e1918 10.1002/wnan.1918 37527953
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Hua S. Lipid-based nano-delivery systems for skin delivery of drugs and bioactives. Front. Pharmacol. 2015 6 1 219 10.3389/fphar.2015.00219 26483690
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Valjakka-Koskela R. Kirjavainen M. Mönkkönen J. Urtti A. Kiesvaara J. Enhancement of percutaneous absorption of naproxen by phospholipids. Int. J. Pharm. 1998 175 2 225 230 10.1016/S0378‑5173(98)00285‑3
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Matteucci M. Casella M. Bedoni M. A compact and disposable transdermal drug delivery system. Microelectron. Eng. 2008 85 5-6 1066 1073 10.1016/j.mee.2007.12.067
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Vishwakarma S.K. A novel transdermal drug delivery system. Int J Res Pharm 2012 3 8 39 44
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Shingade G.M. Review on: Recent trend on transdermal drug delivery system. J. Drug Deliv. Ther. 2012 2 1 66 75 10.22270/jddt.v2i1.74
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Touitou E. Dayan N. Bergelson L. Godin B. Eliaz M. Ethosomes — novel vesicular carriers for enhanced delivery: Characterization and skin penetration properties. J. Control. Release 2000 65 3 403 418 10.1016/S0168‑3659(99)00222‑9 10699298
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Dayan N. Touitou E. Carriers for skin delivery of trihexyphenidyl HCl: Ethosomes vs. liposomes. Biomaterials 2000 21 18 1879 1885 10.1016/S0142‑9612(00)00063‑6 10919691
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Godin B. Touitou E. Erythromycin ethosomal systems: Physicochemical characterization and enhanced antibacterial activity. Curr. Drug Deliv. 2005 2 3 269 275 10.2174/1567201054367931 16305429
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Nikalje A.P.G. Tiwari S.V. Ethosomes: A novel tool for transdermal drug delivery. Int J Res Pharm Sci 2011 2 1 1 20
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Laïb S. Routh A.F. Fabrication of colloidosomes at low temperature for the encapsulation of thermally sensitive compounds. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2008 317 1 121 129 10.1016/j.jcis.2007.09.019 17936773
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Saraf S. Rathi R. Deep Kaur C. Saraf S. Colloidosomes- An advanced vesicular system in drug delivery. Asian J. Sci. Res. 2010 4 1 1 15 10.3923/ajsr.2011.1.15
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Zylberberg C. Matosevic S. Pharmaceutical liposomal drug delivery: A review of new delivery systems and a look at the regulatory landscape. Drug Deliv. 2016 23 9 3319 3329 10.1080/10717544.2016.1177136 27145899
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Mathur V. Satrawala Y. Rajput M.S. Physical and chemical penetration enhancers in transdermal drug delivery system. Asian J. Pharm. 2010 4 3 173 183 10.4103/0973‑8398.72115
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Jain N.K. Transdermal Drug Delivery. In: Introduction to novel drug delivery systems. VALLABH PRAKASHAN 2012 97 117
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Gupta P.N. Mishra V. Rawat A. Non-invasive vaccine delivery in transfersomes, niosomes and liposomes: A comparative study. Int. J. Pharm. 2005 293 1-2 73 82 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2004.12.022 15778046
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Gondaliya D.P. Pundarikakshudu K. Studies in formulation, characterization of transdermal permeation of nimesulide from aqueous and emulgel. Indian Drug 2002 39 9 465 473
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Martin dale: The complete drug reference. Thirty second ed: Pharmaceutical Press 1999 863 864
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Wade A. Hand book of pharmaceutical excipients. Second ed The Pharmaceutical Press London 1994
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Akiladevi D. Basak S. Ethosomes- A noninvasive approach for transdermal drug delivery. Int. J. Curr. Pharm. Res. 2010 2 4 1 4
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Bhalaria M.K. Naik S. Misra A.N. Ethosomes: A novel delivery system for antifungal drugs in the treatment of topical fungal diseases. Indian J. Exp. Biol. 2009 47 5 368 375 19579803
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Guo J. Ping Q. Sun G. Jiao C. Lecithin vesicular carriers for transdermal delivery of cyclosporin A. Int. J. Pharm. 2000 194 2 201 207 10.1016/S0378‑5173(99)00361‑0 10692644
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Lodzki M. Godin B. Rakou L. Mechoulam R. Gallily R. Touitou E. Cannabidiol—transdermal delivery and anti-inflammatory effect in a murine model. J. Control. Release 2003 93 3 377 387 10.1016/j.jconrel.2003.09.001 14644587
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Paolino D. Lucania G. Mardente D. Alhaique F. Fresta M. Ethosomes for skin delivery of ammonium glycyrrhizinate: In vitro percutaneous permeation through human skin and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity on human volunteers. J. Control. Release 2005 106 1-2 99 110 10.1016/j.jconrel.2005.04.007 15935505
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Talegaonkar S. Mishra P.R. Khar R.K. Biju S.S. Vesicular systems: An overview. Indian J. Pharm. Sci. 2006 68 2 141 153 10.4103/0250‑474X.25707
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Touitou E. Godin B. Dayan N. Weiss C. Piliponsky A. Levi-Schaffer F. Intracellular delivery mediated by an ethosomal carrier. Biomaterials 2001 22 22 3053 3059 10.1016/S0142‑9612(01)00052‑7 11575480
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Jain S. Jain P. Umamaheshwari R.B. Jain N.K. Transfersomes--a novel vesicular carrier for enhanced transdermal delivery: Development, characterization, and performance evaluation. Drug Dev. Ind. Pharm. 2003 29 9 1013 1026 10.1081/DDC‑120025458 14606665
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Sitruk-Ware R. Transdermal application of steroid hormones for contraception. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. 1995 53 1-6 247 251 10.1016/0960‑0760(95)00055‑5 7626463
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Sivakranth M. Ethosomes a novel vesicular drug delivery system. IJAPS 2012 21 1 16 27
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Manosrai A. Novel elastic nanovesicles for cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical applications. J. Sci. 2009 36 2 168 178
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Kulkarni RV, Doddayya H. In-vitro permeation of verapamil hydrochloride from polymeric membrane systems across rat and human cadaver skin. Indian J Pharm Sci 2002 3 2 593 7
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Chandel A. Ethosomes: A novel approach towards transdermal drug delivery. IJPACS 2012 1 2 563 569
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Tiwari R.K. Ethosomes: A potential carries for transdermal drug delivery. IJDDR 2010 2 2 448 452
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Kumar KP. Ethosomes: A priority in transdermal drug delivery. Int J Adv Pharm Sci 2010 1 111 21
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Tyagi L.K. Ethosomes: Novel vesicular carrier for enhanced transdermal drug delivery system. Bull. Pharm. Res. 2013 3 1 6 13
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Verma P. Pathak K. Therapeutic and cosmeceutical potential of ethosomes: An overview. J. Adv. Pharm. Technol. Res. 2010 1 3 274 282 10.4103/0110‑5558.72415 22247858
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Alexander A Dwivedi S Ajazuddin, et al. Approaches for breaking the barriers of drug permeation through transdermal drug delivery. J. Control. Release 2012 164 1 26 40 10.1016/j.jconrel.2012.09.017 23064010
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Kesharwani R. Patel D.K. Ethosomes: A new technology used as topical & transdermal delivery system. J. Drug Deliv. Ther. 2016 6 3 7 17
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Bhaskaran S, Harsh NS. Effect of permeation enhancer and iontophoresis on permeation of atenolol from transdermal gels. Indian J Pharm Sci 2001 6 1 424 6
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Guyot M. Fawaz F. Design and in vitro evaluation of adhesive matrix for transdermal delivery of propranolol. Int. J. Pharm. 2000 204 1-2 171 182 10.1016/S0378‑5173(00)00494‑4 11012001
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Adrian C.W. Transdermal and Topical Drug Delivery. Great Britain Pharma Press, Royal Pharma Society 2003 125 135
    [Google Scholar]
  52. Sharma A. Transdermal drug delivery system: A review. Int. J. Res. Pharm. Biomed. Sci. 2013 4 1 286 292
    [Google Scholar]
  53. Dubey V. Mishra D. Jain N.K. Melatonin loaded ethanolic liposomes: Physicochemical characterization and enhanced transdermal delivery. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. 2007 67 2 398 405 10.1016/j.ejpb.2007.03.007 17452098
    [Google Scholar]
  54. Rastogi V. Yadav P. Transdermal drug delivery system: An overview. Asian J. Pharm. 2012 6 3 161 170 10.4103/0973‑8398.104828
    [Google Scholar]
  55. Langer R. Transdermal drug delivery: Current status and future prospects. J Biomed Sci Res 2004 56 5 557 558 10.1016/j.addr.2003.10.021 15019745
    [Google Scholar]
  56. Heeremans J.L.M. Gerrttsen H.R. Meusen S.P. The preparation of tissue-type Plasminogen Activator (t-PA) containing liposomes: Entrapment efficiency and ultracentrifugation damage. J. Drug Target. 1995 3 4 301 310 10.3109/10611869509015959 8821004
    [Google Scholar]
  57. Iizhar S.A. Syed I.A. Satar R. Ansari S.A. In vitro assessment of pharmaceutical potential of ethosomes entrapped with terbinafine hydrochloride. J. Adv. Res. 2016 7 3 453 461 10.1016/j.jare.2016.03.003 27222750
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/cds/10.2174/0115748863382305250725053105
Loading
Ethosomes- Novel Drug Delivery System in Herbal Formulations- A Review
Bentham Science Publishers ; https://doi.org/10.2174/0115748863382305250725053105
/content/journals/cds/10.2174/0115748863382305250725053105
/content/journals/cds/10.2174/0115748863382305250725053105
Loading

Data & Media loading...


  • Article Type:     Review Article
Keywords: cosmeceuticals ; vesicle stability ; amphiphilic bilayer ; ethosomes ; vesicular carriers ; skin permeability ; encapsulation efficiency ; Transdermal ; phospholipids

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test