Table 1.

Comparative overview of advantages and disadvantages of liposomes and nanoliposomes.

Advantages	Disadvantages
LIPOSOMES
✓ Entrapment of hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds separated or simultaneously.	✗ Reduction in encapsulation efficiency due to size enlargement
✓ The increase in number of layers (e.g., kinetic constraints) may be beneficial to prevents or delays the release of active molecules.	✗ Higher physical instability during storage.
✓ Made of natural ingredients	✗ Susceptibility to fast clearance from the bloodstream
✓ Simple fabrication process	✗ Drug leakage
✓ Possibility of surface functionalization	✗ Higher susceptibility to be capture by RES
✓ Cost-effectiveness	✗ Reduced bioavailability compared to nanoliposomes
NANOLIPOSOMES
✓ Entrapment of hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds separated or simultaneously.	✗ Manufacturing process usually involves mechanical energy (e.g., sonication, homogenization, microfluidization, etc.) that may degrade the lipid structure.
✓ Reduced toxicity and side-effects	✗ Aggregation and coalescence can occur due to stronger electrostatic interactions.
✓ Greater stability when incorporated into real products	✗ More clinical trials are still necessary
✓ Higher surface area-to-volume ratio	✗ In some cases, the use of surfactants as stabilizers is needed.
✓ Better solubility and accurate targeting	✗ Reduced drug storage capacities
✓ Delayed body clearance and better suitability for chemotherapeutics delivery	✗ The in vivo fate is still not fully understood