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Leishmaniasis is one of the most common parasitic diseases in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide and poses a threat to public health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of leishmaniasis cases worldwide is estimated at 12 million, and the number of people at risk is 350 million. However, leishmaniasis therapies have their limitations, and today nanoparticle delivery systems such as liposomes are used. Liposomes are bilayered structures made of phospholipids and cholesterol, which contain hydrophilic and hydrophobic components in their structure and enable the uptake of hydrophobic, hydrophilic, or amphiphilic compounds. Since the leishmaniasis parasite is predominantly found in macrophages, drug delivery systems improve the therapeutic index of anti-leishmaniasis drugs and reduce the effective dose and toxic off-target effects of non-specific biodistribution. Targeted liposomal drug delivery systems are achieved by utilizing their different structural features such as particle size and surface charge and attaching other ligands to the surface of liposomes for targeted drug delivery. Today, sugar-coated liposomes, cationic liposomes, arsenoliposomes and peptide-targeted liposomes are used to deliver traditional anti-leishmaniasis drugs to Leishmania, and due to the importance of nanoliposomes and their many benefits, research continues in this field.

Cutaneous fungal infections are the fourth most common health problem, which involves approximately billion people worldwide. Drug delivery to the skin seems to be the best choice for superficial fungal infections. Topical formulations can release a sufficient amount of drug in therapeutical concentrations and permeate higher layers of the skin like the stratum corneum. As the outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum prevents the drug from penetrating the skin. Liposomes, especially nanosized as topical drug delivery systems to the skin, can show various functions depending on their size, lipids and cholesterol components, the percent of ingredients, lamellarity, and surface charge. Nanoliposomes can increase permeation through the stratum corneum, decrease systemic effects with their localizing actions, and overcome many dermal drug delivery obstacles. Antifungal drugs, such as croconazole, econazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole, terbinafine hydrochloride, tolnaftate, and miconazole entrapped in liposomes have indicated improved skin penetration and localizing effects. According to the literature review summarized in this paper, many studies have identified liposomes as a powerful carrier for topical antifungal drug delivery to the skin. However, a few studies introduced new generations of liposomes like ethosomes and transfersomes. This paper was conducted on almost all liposomal studies of antifungal drugs with dermal application.