Bilosomes in the context of oral immunization: development, challenges and opportunities

Oral administration remains the most favored means of drug administration as far as patient compliance is concerned. For the majority of vaccines and biologics, the oral route is not a good choice because of diminished uptake of the administered dose. Vesicular carriers like liposomes and niosomes are among the potential candidates for vaccine delivery by the oral route but their instability in the gastrointestinal environment is a problem. Bilosomes represent a key advance in oral vaccine delivery because they are more resistant to disruption by gastric acid as well as enzymes. Here, we focus on different aspects of bilosomes including composition, developmental techniques, stability, transitional modifications and scale-up - emphasizing their biomedical potential in oral immunization against various diseases.