Abstract
Protective effect of poly(ethylene glycol) and some other polymers on liposomes is considered in terms of statistical behavior of macromolecules in solution. According to the mechanism proposed, liposome-grafted chains of flexible and hydrophilic polymers form dense “conformational clouds” preventing other macromolecules from the surrounding solution from interaction with the liposome surface even at low concentration of protecting polymer. The scale of protective effect is interpreted as the balance between the energy of hydrophobic anchor interaction with the membrane core and the energy of polymer chain free motion in solution. Experimental evidences are presented for the importance of protecting polymer flexibility in preventing liposome opsonization, and possible further theoretical applications of the suggested model are discussed. The possibility of using protecting polymers other than poly(ethylene glycol) is analyzed, and examples of such polymers are given basing on polymer-coated liposome biodistribution data.
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