Liposome-Based Nanoparticle Delivery Systems for Lung Diseases: Opportunities and Challenges

The role of the lungs as one of the most important organs in the body cannot be overstated. When disease occurs in the lungs, due to the special physiological structure and barriers of the lungs, many drugs is often required to maintain the required blood concentration, which brings unbearable adverse drug reactions to the patients, reduces the tolerance of the patients to the drugs, and affects the effect of disease treatment. As a mature delivery system, liposomes are widely used in major fields, and more importantly, liposome-delivered drugs have been utilized in clinical treatments, effectively reducing the side effects of drugs and achieving excellent efficacy. This review describes in detail the physiological structure and barriers of the lungs and the structure of liposomes; then summarizes the application of liposomes in different lung diseases, as well as its drawbacks and advantages. Finally, we suggest that liposome-delivered nucleic acids are expected to be a new trend and approach for the treatment of lung diseases.