Ethosomes- Novel Drug Delivery System in Herbal Formulations-A Review

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, etc. 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.