Hou Xp

Studies on alginate-chitosan microcapsules and renal arterial embolization in rabbits.

Spherical and well-dispersed alginate-chitosan microcapsules, with a mean diameter of 77.28+/-0.93 microm (n=3), were prepared by the emulsification-gelation method. Adriamycin hydrochloride (ADM) was used as a model drug to investigate the drug loading capacity and release characteristics of the microcapsules. The drug/carrier ratio and chitosan concentration influenced the encapsulation efficiency of adriamycin. The adriamycin release from microcapsules was obviously different in 0.1 mol/l HCl from that in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4). The drug was completely and rapidly released in 0.1 mol/l HCl, while it showed a sustained release after a burst release in PBS. The increase in chitosan concentration had no effect on adriamycin release in PBS. Using sulforhodamin B (SRB)-staining survival assay, the inhibition of adriamycin alginate-chitosan microcapsules (ADM-ACM) to different cancer cell lines (human BGC-823 cells, Bel-7402 cells and Hela cells) in vitro was determined. The inhibitory rate of ADM-ACM suspension to the three cell lines significantly outran that of ADM solution, no matter at high or low concentration. The effects of blank alginate-chitosan microcapsules (BACM) on renal arterial embolization were examined with transcatheter arterial embolization in rabbits. The angiogram and histopathological results indicated the blank microcapsules had excellent short- and long-term effects on renal arterial embolization.

The study on brain targeting of the amphotericin B liposomes.

To improve transporting drugs across the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) into the brain, RMP-7 was conjugated to the surface of liposomes containing Amphotericin B (AmB) for cerebral inflammation, because it can selectively bound to the B2 receptors on the capillary blood vessel. First, RMP-7 was conjugated to DSPE-PEG-NHS [1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-n-[poly (ethylenegly-col)]-hydroxy succinamide, PEG M 3400] under mild condition to obtain a predominantly 1:1 conjugate (DSPE-PEG-RMP-7), as evidenced by the Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The second, endothelium cell was cultured on the cell insert to form an in vitro BBB model and the stereoscan microscope, electric resistance and permeation of horse-radish peroxidase (HRP) across the endothelium cell monolayer were used as indicators to evaluate the integrality of the monolayer, and then the in vitro BBB model was used to determine the bioactivity of DSPE-PEG-RMP-7 opening BBB. The results demonstrated the in vitro BBB model was set up, RMP-7 and DSPE-PEG-RMP-7 could improve the transporting of HRP across the BBB. The third, the liposomes containing AmB (AmB-L-PEG) was prepared by modified Film-sonication method and DSPE-PEG-RMP-7 was used to modify the AmB-L-PEG to obtain AmB-L-PEG-RMP-7. The fourth, tissue distribution of AmB in the rats of three groups was determined: Group I, AmB-L-PEG; Group II, AmB-L-PEG+RMP-7 (the physical mixture of AmB-L-PEG and RMP-7); Group III, AmB-PEG-RMP-7. The drugs were transfused into the rats through the femoral vein. The concentration of AmB in the tissue was checked using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method. The rank of AmB concentration in the brain were as follows: III>II>I. The AmB concentration in the liver, spleen, lung and kidney had no significant difference. The concentration of AmB in the brain of the group III was raised several times higher than that in the other two groups, because the DSPE-PEG-RMP-7 had been inserted in the surface of AmB-L-PEG. Both the RMP-7 and AmB-L-PEG could reach BBB at the same time. When RMP-7 selectively reacted with the B2 receptor, the BBB is opened and AmB was transported into the brain at the same time. While in group II, the RMP-7 could improve the AmB concentration in the brain a little, because the RMP-7 and liposomes could not reach BBB at the same time. The distribution of AmB in the tissues demonstrated that the RMP-7 and its derivative had selectivity to the brain.

The Effect of RMP-7 and its Derivative on Transporting Evens Blue Liposomes into the Brain

To investigate the effect of RMP-7 and its derivative on drug transport across blood brain barrier (BBB), RMP-7 and DSPE-PEG-NHS [1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-n-[poly(ethyleneglycol)]-hydroxy succinamide, PEG M 3400] were conjugated under mild conditions and the reaction ratio was determined using MALDI–TOF-MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry). An endothelial cell monolayer in vitro BBB model was established and used to determine the bioactivity of RMP-7 and its derivative “opening BBB.” Horse radish peroxide (HRP), liposome (HRP-L-PEG), and Evens blue (EB) liposome (EB-L-PEG) were prepared using the reverse-phase evaporation method. HRP-L-PEG-RMP-7 and EB-L-PEG-RMP-7 were obtained by inserting DSPE-PEG-RMP-7 into the surface of liposome. The bioactivity of RMP-7 and DSPE-PEG-RMP-7 opening BBB were evaluated to determine their effect on the permeation ratio of HRP and HRP liposome across the in vitro BBB model. To evaluate the in vivo bioactivity of RMP-7 and DSPE-PEG-RMP-7 on EB transport across BBB into the brain, the indicated compounds were administered to rats. Then, brain slices were analyzed using confocal laser scanning microcopy and the EB concentration in the brain, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney was determined using the formamide–extraction–ultraviolet-spectrophotometric method. The results demonstrated that RMP-7 was conjugated with DSPE-PEG-NHS at the molecular ratio of 1:1 and the product is DSPE-PEG-RMP-7. Compared with adding HRP alone, RMP-7 and DSPE-PEG-RMP-7 improved 2- to 3-fold the transport of HRP in the in vitro BBB model. The in vivo experiments showed that DSPE-PEG-RMP-7 was better at facilitating EB transport into brain than RMP-7. The reason may be that DSPE-PEG-RMP-7 can “open BBB” as soon as the EB-L-PEG-RMP-7 reaches BBB.