Niosomes in drug delivery: A comprehensive review and therapeutic perspectives

Niosomes are vesicular nanocarriers based on non-ionic surfactants that have drawn a lot of interest as substitutes for traditional lipid-based delivery systems because of their improved physicochemical stability, affordability and versatility in formulation development. The basic ideas guiding niosome development, the latest advances made in the preparation techniques and important characterization techniques impacting their performance as carriers of drugs are all critically examined in this Review study. In order to highlight variations in stability, scalability and translational potential, niosomes are compared with structurally comparable systems, especially liposomes. A thorough discussion is given of recent advancements on Niosomes that were reported in various articles between 2021 and 2024, such as functionalized niosomal systems and enhanced manufacturing techniques. With an emphasis on transdermal distribution, vaccine delivery, diagnostic imaging, the therapeutic uses of niosomes are classified according to the mode of administration and disease relevance. Crucially, this analysis addresses the current issues that prevent clinical translation, including manufacturing constraints, biological instability and regulatory challenges. This article offers a current and distinctive viewpoint on niosomal drug delivery systems and highlights future directions necessary for their successful clinical and industrial utilization by integrating critical analysis with new research developments.