Lipid nanovesicles for biomedical applications: ‘What is in a name’?

• Published in: Progress in lipid research Vol. 82; p. 101096
• Main Authors: Apolinário, Alexsandra Conceição, Hauschke, Leon, Nunes, Jessica Ribeiro, Lopes, Luciana Biagini
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2021
• Subjects: Amphiphilic copolymers; Drug delivery; Drug Delivery Systems; Lipid Bilayers; Liposomes; Nomenclature; Non-ionic surfactants; Phospholipids; Vesicles; Vesicles; Nomenclature; Drug delivery; Phospholipids; Liposomes; Amphiphilic copolymers; Non-ionic surfactants
• ISSN: 0163-7827; 1873-2194
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2021.101096

Vesicles, generally defined as self-assembled structures formed by single or multiple concentric bilayers that surround an aqueous core, have been widely used for biomedical applications. They can either occur naturally (e.g. exosomes) or be produced artificially and range from the micrometric scale to the nanoscale. One the most well-known vesicle is the liposome, largely employed as a drug delivery nanocarrier. Liposomes have been modified along the years to improve physicochemical and biological features, resulting in long-circulating, ligand-targeted and stimuli-responsive liposomes, among others. In this process, new nomenclatures were reported in an extensive literature. In many instances, the new names suggest the emergence of a new nanocarrier, which have caused confusion as to whether the vesicles are indeed new entities or could simply be considered modified liposomes. Herein, we discussed the extensive nomenclature of vesicles based on the suffix “some” that are employed for drug delivery and composed of various types and proportions of lipids and others amphiphilic compounds. New names have most often been selected based on changes of vesicle lipid composition, but the payload, structural complexity (e.g. multicompartment) and new/improved proprieties (e.g. elasticity) have also inspired new vesicle names. Based on this discussion, we suggested a rational classification for vesicles. [Display omitted] •A plethora of lipid vesicles for biomedical application are presented•The relationship between the nomenclature employed for these vesicles and modifications of classical liposomes is discussed•Full modification in the composition of lipid bilayers should be present in new vesicles•Concepts of composition, application and structural complexity are employed to categorize the vesicles