Effect of phospholipid composition on pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of epirubicin liposomes

Abstract

The effects of phospholipid composition on the pharmacokinetics (PK) and biodistribution of epirubicin (EPI) liposomes, as well as the in vitro macrophage uptake of various liposome formulations, were investigated. Three liposome formulations were investigated: HSPC:Chol (L-EPI; 5:4 molar ratio), HSPC:Chol:DSPG (D-EPI; 5:4:1 molar ratio), and HSPC:Chol:DSPG:DSPE-mPEG2000 (S-EPI; 5:4:1:0.3 molar ratio). Small unilamellar liposomes were prepared by the modified thin-film hydration method with extrusion through polycarbonate filters, and EPI was remote loaded into liposomes by the transmembrane ammonium sulfate gradient method. Macrophages were used to evaluate in vitro the cellular uptake of EPI-loaded liposomes. The following decreasing order of uptake amount was observed: L-EPI>D-EPI>S-EPI. D-EPI showed a relatively low level of uptake, probably because of the steric hindrance provided by the glycerol head group on DSPG, protecting it from the direct recognization by cell-membrane receptors. With the presence of serum, uptake values for all liposome formulations were increased for the activation of the complement system. In the PK study, S-EPI showed significantly prolonged circulating time and reduced clearance. The following increasing order of area under the concentration versus time curve was observed among the various liposome formulations: L-EPI<D-EPI<S-EPI. The biodistribution study indicated that S-EPI decreased drug disposition in the liver, spleen, lung, and heart and increased that in the kidney with respect to the other liposomes. The encouraging property of S-EPI, in terms of prolonging circulating time and reducing heart toxicity, might describe a promising perspective toward clinical application, and all the results would support further research into liposome-based drug carriers.