review · Malaria Journal
Malaria remains a major cause of disease in tropical regions, managed primarily through therapeutics and vaccination. However, parasite drug resistance, poor drug solubility, limited bioavailability, non-specific targeting, and adverse toxic side effects impede successful treatment. Liposome-based nanotechnology has emerged as an approach to overcome these therapeutic barriers. Enclosing anti-malarial drugs within liposomes improves encapsulation, enhances bioavailability, enables targeted delivery, and permits controlled drug release. These mechanisms enhance treatment efficacy while reducing side effects and slowing resistance progression. In addition, liposomal platforms serve as immunological adjuvants and antigen carriers designed to improve the effectiveness of candidate malaria vaccines. Evaluating in vitro and in vivo research from 1980 to 2020 demonstrates the prophylactic and curative capabilities of liposomal systems. This evidence supports ongoing research and development into accessible and affordable liposomal anti-malarial formulations and liposome-based vaccines.
Treating malaria effectively is increasingly difficult as parasites develop resistance to existing medicines, and current drugs often trigger toxic side effects due to poor targeting. Liposome delivery systems offer a proven method to make anti-malarial drugs more effective at lower, safer doses and to strengthen the body's immune response to malaria vaccines, potentially protecting vulnerable populations in tropical areas.
Liposome technology provides an application pathway for pharmaceutical developers aiming to reformulate existing anti-malarial medications and manufacture liposomal vaccines. By improving bioavailability and targeted delivery, it supports more effective treatments and immunisations. The underlying evidence rests on four decades of in vitro and in vivo laboratory investigations, indicating that while therapeutic principles are well explored, practical products require continued research and development to achieve affordable, real-world deployment.
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Malaria is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases and the foremost cause of morbidity in the tropical regions of the world. Strategies for the efficient management of this parasitic infection include adequate treatment with anti-malarial therapeutics and vaccination. However, the emergence and spread of resistant strains of malaria parasites to the majority of presently used anti-malarial medications, on the other hand, complicates malaria treatment. Other shortcomings of anti-malarial drugs include poor aqueous solubility, low permeability, poor bioavailability, and non-specific targeting of intracellular parasites, resulting in high dose requirements and toxic side effects. To address these limitations, liposome-based nanotechnology has been extensively explored as a new solution in malaria management. Liposome technology improves anti-malarial drug encapsulation, bioavailability, target delivery, and controlled release, resulting in increased effectiveness, reduced resistance progression, and fewer adverse effects. Furthermore, liposomes are exploited as immunological adjuvants and antigen carriers to boost the preventive effectiveness of malaria vaccine candidates. The present review discusses the findings from studies conducted over the last 40 years (1980-2020) using in vitro and in vivo settings to assess the prophylactic and curative anti-malarial potential of liposomes containing anti-malarial agents or antigens. This paper and the discussion herein provide a useful resource for further complementary investigations and may pave the way for the research and development of several available and affordable anti-malarial-based liposomes and liposomal malaria vaccines by allowing a thorough evaluation of liposomes developed to date for the management of malaria.
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DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03858-0
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