Processing of Doxorubicin-Containing Liposomes by Liver Macrophages in Vitro

AbstractPrevious results suggested that drug formation in macrophages is an important aspect of the mode of action of doxorubicin (DXR)-containing liposomes. Intracellular degradation of DXR-liposomes may result in the liberation of DXR molecules that subsequently are released from the macrophages. We investigated whether the rate of intracellular degradation of DXR-liposomes phagocytosed by rat liver macrophages (Kupffer's cells) in monolayer culture is dependent on the type of DXR-liposomes internalized and whether differences in degradation rate of DXR-liposomes are reflected in different DXR release profiles. Two DXR-liposome types that were previously shown to differ markedly both in antitumor activity and degradation rate in vivo were selected for this investigation: a liposome composed of egg-phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylserine (PS), and cholesterol (chol), and a liposome composed of distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC), dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylglycerol (DPPG), and chol. To monitor the rat...