Ethosomes in Nanomedicine: A Comprehensive Review of Formulation Strategies and Therapeutic Applications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22270/ajprd.v14i3.1810Abstract
Ethosomes are novel lipid vesicular carriers that enhance drug delivery through the skin. Due to their high ethanol content, they offer improved flexibility and permeability, enabling drugs with diverse physicochemical properties to reach both superficial and deep skin layers.Introduced in 1996, ethosomes have been extensively investigated and modified, resulting in the development of new generations with optimized compositions. These systems can be incorporated into formulations such as gels, patches, and lotions, and are prepared using several innovative methods.Both preclinical studies and clinical trials confirm the efficiency of ethosomes in dermal and transdermal drug delivery. Compared with conventional liposomes, ethosomes demonstrate superior skin penetration and therapeutic effectiveness, making them a promising platform for future pharmaceutical applications.
Downloads
References
Pawar P, Kalamkar R, Jain A, Amberkar S, “Ethosomes: A Novel Tool for Herbal Drug Delivery”, International Journal of Pharmacy& Pharmaceutical Research, 2015, 3 (4): 191–202.
Udapurkar P, Kamble S, Biyani K, “Ethosomes: Novel Vesicular Carriers for Enhancing Transdermal Drug Delivery”, International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences, 2015, 4 (1), 1–15.
Patrekar P, Inamdar S, Mali S, Mujib M, Ahir A, Hosmani A, “Ethosomes as novel drug delivery system: A Review”, The Pharma Innovation Journal,2015, 4, (9): 10–21.
Abdulbaqi I, Darwis Y, Khan N, Khan R, “Ethosomal nanocarriers: the impact of constituents and formulation techniques on ethosomal properties, in-vivo studies, and clinical trials”, International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2016, 11, 2279–2304.
Aggarwal D, Nautiyal U, “Ethosomes: A review”, International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Research, 2016, 4 (4): 354–363.
Touitoua E, Dayana N, Bergelsonb L, Godina B, Eliaza M, “Ethosomes:novel vesicular carriers for enhanced delivery: characterization and skin penetration properties”, Journal of Controlled Release, 2000, 65: 403–418.
Khogta S, Patel J, Barve K, Londhe V, “Herbal Nano formulations for Topical Delivery”, Journal of Herbal Medicine, 2019, 10, 1–28.
Govind G, Madhavi A, “Review of Herbal Drug Formulations and Its Evolutions, Mintage”, Journal of Pharmaceutical & Medical Sciences, 2019, 8 (1): 1–5.
Pandey V, Golhani D, Shukla R, “Ethosomes: versatile vesicular carriers for efficient transdermal delivery of therapeutic agents”, Drug Delivery, 2019, 22 (8): 988–1002.
Niua X,Zhanga D, Biana Q, Fengc X, Lid H, Raoe Y, Shenf Y, Gengf F, Yuana A, Yinga X, Gaoa J, “Mechanism investigation of ethosomes transdermal permeation”,International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2019, 100–127.
Kulkarni S, Mishra KP, Sharma SB and Jain S, “Ethosomes: A Promising Way for Transdermal Drug Delivery”, International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 2015, 6 (9): 3663–3670.
Touitou E, Godin B, “Ethosomes for skin delivery”, Journal of Drug Delivery Sciences and Technology, 2007, 17 (5): 303–308.
Verma S, Utreja P, “Vesicular nanocarrier based treatment of skin fungal infections: Potential and emerging trends in nanoscale pharmacotherapy”, Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2019, 14:117–129.
Chourasia M, Kang L, Chan S, “Nanosized ethosomes bearing ketoprofen for improved transdermal delivery”, International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2011, 1: 60–67.
Song C, Balakrishnan P, Shim C, Chung S, Chong S, Kim D, “A novel vesicular carrier, transethosomes, for enhanced skin delivery of voriconazole: Characterization and in-vitro&in-vivo evaluation”, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 2012, 92:299–304.
Chaturvedi M, Kumar M, Sinhal A and Saifi A, Recent development in novel drug delivery systems of herbal drugs, International Journal of Green Pharmacy, 2011, 87–94.
Parmar P, Mishra A, Pathak A, “Preparation and Evaluation of Ethosomal Gel of Clotrimazole for Fungal Infection by Mechanical Dispersion Method”, Current Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016, 6 (2): 45–49.
Sakdiseta P, Amnuaikitb T, Pichayakornb W, Pinsuwanb S, “Formulation development of ethosomes containing indomethacin for transdermal delivery”, Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 2019, 52: 760–768.
Dhiman A, Singh D, Fatima K, Zia G, “Development of Rutin Ethosomes for Enhanced Skin Permeation”, International Journal of Traditional Medicine and Applications, 2019, 1, (1): 4–10.
Dave V, Kumar D, Lewis S, Paliwal S, “Ethosome for Enhanced Transdermal Drug Delivery of Aceclofenac”, International Journal of Drug Delivery, 2010, 2: 81–92.
Kumar P, Patel A, Prasad R, Gautam S, “Formulation and Evaluation of Ethosome for Econazole Nitrate a Model Drug to Enhanced Transdermal Delivery”, International Journal of Pharmaceutics & Drug Analysis, 2016, 4 (3): 140–146.
Safeeruddin M, Manognya J, Sravani H, Rajeshwardutt K, Shruthi B, Ravali G, “Etodolac Loaded Ethosomes: Design and In-vitro Characterization”, World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016, 6 (5): 896–903.
Ibrahim T, Abdallah M, El-Megrab N, El-Nahas H, “Transdermal ethosomal gel nanocarriers: apromising strategy for enhancement of antihypertensive effect of carvedilol”,Journal of liposomal research, 2014, 1 (2): 223–236.
Rahul G, Maheshwari S, Rakesh K, Tekade G,Piyoosh A, Sharma H, Darwhekar G, Tyagi A, Patel R, Jain D, “Ethosomes and ultradeformable liposomes for transdermal delivery of clotrimazole: A comparative assessment”, Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 2012, 20: 161–170.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Tulsi G. Patel, Saloni B. Gohil, Sanskruti M. Rao, Pankti N. Patel, Bhavin D. Pandya, Kautuk P. Shah, Ajay K. Saluja, Shreyash A. Diwakar

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
AUTHORS WHO PUBLISH WITH THIS JOURNAL AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported License. that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
.