Chapter 12 Drug Delivery Applications
1997; Elsevier BV; Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0070-2161(08)60216-6
ISSN1063-5823
Autores Tópico(s)Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
ResumoLiposomes have become an attractive vehicle to target drugs to a specific site. The rationale is to prepare liposomes that are stable and targetable but that will readily destabilize upon reaching the desired target and release their contents. It is assumed that this targeted drug delivery would result in drug being concentrated at the desired location and reduce unwanted toxicity to other areas of the body. One of the principle ingredients in these targetable liposomes is a phospholipid that can exist in a stable bilayer as well as a nonbilayer structure to disrupt the liposome structure. Because of the fine balance between stability and instability of liposomes containing dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE), many researchers have been able to produce a stable liposomal delivery system that can destabilize upon demand. This is done by understanding and controlling the transformation of DOPE from the lamellar phase to the hexagonal phase. Nonbilayer-forming phospholipids have been shown to be excellent candidates for drug delivery and drug targeting. As more research is performed and the destabilizing transitions are better understood and controlled, it can be expected that nonbilayer-forming lipids may play an increasing role in the field of liposome research.
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