Acoustically-Activated Liposomal Nanocarriers to Mitigate the Side Effects of Conventional Chemotherapy with a Focus on Emulsion-Liposomes

To improve currently available cancer treatments, nanomaterials are employed as smart drug delivery vehicles that can be engineered to locally target cancer cells and respond to stimuli. Nanocarriers can entrap chemotherapeutic drugs and deliver them to the diseased site, reducing the side effects associated with the systemic administration of conventional anticancer drugs. Upon accumulation in the tumor cells, the nanocarriers need to be potentiated to release their therapeutic cargo. Stimulation can be through endogenous or exogenous modalities, such as temperature, electromagnetic irradiation, ultrasound (US), pH, or enzymes. This review discusses the acoustic stimulation of different sonosensitive liposomal formulations. Emulsion liposomes, or eLiposomes, are liposomes encapsulating phase-changing nanoemulsion droplets, which promote acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV) upon sonication. This gives eLiposomes the advantage of delivering the encapsulated drug at low intensities and short exposure times relative to liposomes. Other formulations integrating microbubbles and nanobubbles are also discussed.

Automated summary

In order to improve current cancer treatments, nanomaterials are used as smart drug delivery vehicles that can be designed to specifically target cancer cells and respond to stimulation. These nanocarriers can encapsulate chemotherapy drugs and deliver them to the affected area, reducing the side effects associated with conventional systemic administration. Different sonosensitive liposomal formulations that can be stimulated using acoustic methods are discussed in this review. Emulsion liposomes (eLiposomes) are highlighted for their ability to promote drug release at low intensities and short exposure times compared to regular liposomes. Other formulations incorporating microbubbles and nanobubbles are also explored.