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Several formulations have been developed in the current era using liposomes and niosomes as vesicular carriers, which have proven useful in oral drug delivery; nevertheless, their use is limited due to their gastrointestinal environment, including pH, enzymes, and bile salts. To overcome these difficulties, researchers are working on finding ways to improve the efficacy and stability of vesicles. Therefore bilosomes have been developed as promising vesicular carriers with the potential to deliver oral vaccines, parenteral and transdermal targeted drug delivery. In addition to incorporating hydrophilic as well as lipophilic drugs into vesicles, bilosomes are considered one of the most effective methods for enhancing bioavailability and efficacy. Bile acid-based bilosomes are rapidly growing in the current research areas and are expected to provide multiple applications in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields that will occur in the future with bile salts. This paper briefly introduces the bilosomes of a new generation (structure), their mechanism of action, stability, physicochemical properties, and potential biomedical applications including in oral immunization. Furthermore, surface-engineered bilosomes are more effective than bare bilosomes in various animal models, but clinical trials are needed to assess their safety and efficacy. There is also a need for more research on scaling-up factors for commercializing bilosomal systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As cancer therapy progresses, challenges remain due to the inherent drawbacks of conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, gene therapy, radiation therapy, and surgical removal. Moreover, due to their associated side effects, conventional treatments affect both cancerous and normal cells, making photodynamic therapy (PDT) an attractive alternative., Methods: As a result of its minimal toxicity, exceptional specificity, and non-invasive characteristics, PDT represents an innovative and highly promising cancer treatment strategy using photosensitizers (PSs) and precise wavelength excitation light to introduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the vicinity of cancer cells., Results: Poor aqueous solubility and decreased sensitivity of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) prevent its use as a photosensitizer in PDT, necessitating the development of oxidized sodium alginate (OSA) hydrogelated nanocarriers to enhance its bioavailability, targeted distribution, and ROS-quantum yield. The ROS quantum yield increased from 0.30 in an aqueous environment to 0.51 when using alginate-based formulations, and it was further enhanced to 0.81 in the case of OSA., Conclusion: Furthermore, the nanoformulations produced fluorescent signals suitable for use as cellular imaging agents, demonstrating contrast-enhancing capabilities in medical imaging and showing minimal toxicity., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)