Lipid carriers: a versatile delivery vehicle for proteins and peptides.

Lipid based carriers have attracted increasing scientific and commercial attention during the last few years as an alternative material for the delivery of peptides and proteins concerned with stability issues. This article presents an overview of different types of biocompatible and versatile lipid-based carriers employed for the delivery of therapeutic proteins and peptides. Such delivery systems are discussed and exemplified regarding both more traditional lipid based delivery systems such as liposomes and lipid emulsions as well as more novel structures, e.g., lipid microtubules, microbubbles, and solid lipid nanoparticles.