Bhatt Aashka H, Patel Hetal P, Patel Priyanshi R, Rathod Hiren G, Hirawala Jigal H, Shaikh Parvez S, Maulvi Furqan A
Maliba Pharmacy College, Uka Tarsadia University, Surat 394350, India.
Maliba Pharmacy College, Uka Tarsadia University, Surat 394350, India; School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
Int J Pharm. 2025 Nov 10;684:126108. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.126108. Epub 2025 Aug 25.
Cubosomes are advanced nanostructured lipid carriers characterized by their internal bicontinuous cubic phases, which enable the simultaneous encapsulation of both hydrophilic and lipophilic therapeutics. Their unique architecture imparts superior bioadhesion, sustained drug release, and enhanced mucosal and transdermal permeability, making them promising candidates for non-oral drug delivery. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of cubosome design strategies, fabrication methodologies, and functional performance across various administration routes, including transdermal, ocular, pulmonary, parenteral, and intranasal. Comparative evaluations demonstrate that cubosomes consistently outperform conventional nanocarriers-such as liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles-in terms of encapsulation efficiency, release kinetics, and therapeutic outcomes. Noteworthy advances include their application in brain-targeted delivery, localized chemotherapeutic regimens, and antifungal pulmonary therapy. Emerging translational efforts, such as clinical studies involving statin-loaded cubosomal gels for periodontitis, further underscore their clinical promise. Despite these advancements, challenges persist regarding large-scale production, regulatory standardization, and comprehensive toxicity assessment. Nevertheless, recent innovations in microfluidic fabrication, surface modification, and stimuli-responsive systems continue to propel the field forward. This review highlights the evolving landscape of cubosome-based therapeutics and outlines key opportunities for their integration into next-generation, patient-centric drug delivery platforms.
立方液晶纳米粒是一种先进的纳米结构脂质载体，其特征在于内部具有双连续立方相，这使得亲水性和亲脂性治疗药物能够同时被包裹。它们独特的结构赋予了卓越的生物黏附性、持续的药物释放以及增强的黏膜和透皮渗透性，使其成为非口服药物递送的有前景的候选者。本综述全面分析了立方液晶纳米粒在各种给药途径（包括透皮、眼部、肺部、肠胃外和鼻腔给药）中的设计策略、制备方法和功能性能。比较评估表明，在包封效率、释放动力学和治疗效果方面，立方液晶纳米粒始终优于传统纳米载体，如脂质体和固体脂质纳米粒。值得注意的进展包括它们在脑靶向递送、局部化疗方案和抗真菌肺部治疗中的应用。新兴的转化研究工作，如涉及用于牙周炎的载他汀立方液晶纳米粒凝胶的临床研究，进一步凸显了它们的临床前景。尽管取得了这些进展，但在大规模生产、监管标准化和全面的毒性评估方面仍然存在挑战。然而，微流体制备、表面修饰和刺激响应系统方面的最新创新继续推动该领域向前发展。本综述强调了基于立方液晶纳米粒的治疗方法的不断发展的格局，并概述了将其整合到下一代以患者为中心的药物递送平台中的关键机遇。
