Introduction of enzymes, by means of liposomes, into non-phagocytic human cells in vitro

Liposomes: applications in medicine

Liposomes are spherical lipid bilayers from 50 nm to 1000 nm in diameter that serve as convenient delivery vehicles for biologically active compounds. The field of liposome research has expanded considerably over the last 30 years. It is now possible to engineer a wide range of liposomes varying in size, phospholipid composition and surface characteristics to suit the specific application for which they are intended. This paper gives an overview of the main advances in liposome research from a point of view of their applications in medicine. Aqueous contrast enhancing agents entrapped in liposomal carriers can be targeted to the liver and spleen and distinctions can be made between normal and tumorous tissue using computed tomography. Topical application of liposomes has great potential in dermatology. Liposomes have been used to deliver anticancer agents in order to reduce the toxic effects of the drugs when given alone or to increase the circulation time and effectiveness of the drugs. From the original concept of encapsulating hemoglobin in an inert shell, liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin (LEH) has evolved into a fluid proven to carry oxygen, capable of surviving for reasonable periods in the circulation and amenable to large-scale production. Liposomes may be used to target specific cells by attaching amino acid fragments such as antibodies or proteins or appropriate fragments that target specific receptor sites. Liposomal DNA delivery vectors and further enhancements in the forms of LPDI and LPDII are some of the safest and potentially most versatile transfer vectors used to date. DNA vaccination and improved efficiency of gene therapy are just a few of the upcoming applications of liposomes.

Liposome-mediated delivery stimulates a class I-restricted cytotoxic T cell response to soluble antigen

Most soluble protein antigens are poor at priming class I-restricted cytotoxic cell activity. In this study we show that incorporation of one protein, ovalbumin, into liposomes converts this antigen into an effective stimulator of antigen-specific cytotoxicity. The mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon are discussed.

Liposomes in chemo- and immunotherapy of cancer

In this paper, we report on the in vivo behavior of liposomes as a function of their size and composition. It is emphasized that by varying these parameters we can influence not only the rate of blood elimination but also the intrahepatic destination of the liposomes. Thus, we show that small liposomes with diameters well below 100 nm can reach and be internalized by the parenchymal cells of the liver, i.e. the hepatocytes. The rate and the extent at which this occurs depends on the liposomal composition. With respect to the application of liposomes as a drug carrier system in anticancer therapy, we put emphasis on the liver macrophage, i.e. the Kupffer cell, as a target cell. Large liposomes with diameters well over 100 nm exclusively are taken up by these cells as far as hepatic uptake is concerned. By encapsulation within liposomes, a drug may be delivered specifically to these macrophages; this will prevent its rapid excretion from the body and/or undesired accumulation in other cell types. Two examples of the way in which this condition may be exploited are presented. First, we demonstrate the formation of intracellular depots in the macrophages of the cytostatic drug 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR), thus preventing the rapid metabolism of the drug by the hepatocytes and allowing its sustained release from the macrophages and subsequent uptake by adjacent metastatic tumor cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Liposome-entrapped contact inhibitory factor: transfer of capacity for density-dependent growth to melanoma cells

Contact inhibitory factor (CIF) is a growth inhibitor obtained from conditioned culture medium of a contact-inhibited line of hamster melanocytic cells, which reversibly restores density-, anchorage-, and serum-dependent growth to melanoma cells. The usefulness of liposomes as carriers for CIF was investigated in vitro. The stability of liposomes prepared both with and without CIF was demonstrated by measuring the rate of efflux of a K2CrO4 marker. Anionic multilamellar lipid vesicles (7 phosphatidylcholine:2 dicetyl phosphate:1 cholesterol) prepared with CIF-containing material and separated from unentrapped CIF by gel filtration on Sepharose 2B, showed retarded leakage of a K2CrO4 marker (half-efflux at 77 h) when compared with identical liposomes lacking CIF (half-efflux at 40 h). When added to subconfluent cultures of hamster melanoma cells, liposome-entrapped CIF restored contact-inhibited growth. Compared with aqueous solutions of CIF, liposome-CIF effects were characterized by longer latency and more sustained duration. The ability of CIF-bearing liposomes to effectively restore density-dependent growth in vitro should facilitate in vivo studies of the effects of this potent growth inhibitor on melanoma and other neoplasms.

Liposomes containing colloidal gold are a useful probe of liposome-cell interactions

A method is described for the preparation of liposomes containing colloidal gold as an electron-dense marker to trace liposome-cell interactions. Since gold sols would precipitate at the high concentrations necessary for loading a large proportion of liposomes, gold sols were formed within preformed liposomes which had encapsulated gold chloride. The optimal conditions for encapsulating the marker were ascertained for liposomes prepared by the method of reverse-phase evaporation. Gold sols formed rapidly at ambient temperature and without organic solvent, and produced homogeneous populations of gold granules inside liposomes. Most vesicles contained the marker, allowing us to determine unambiguously the intracellular fate of liposomes and their contents. The in vitro experiments showed that gold-liposomes were internalized by African green monkey kidney cells in a manner similar to receptor-mediated endocytosis of well-characterized ligands. Preliminary in vivo studies also indicated that liposomes were endocytosed by Kupffer cells via the coated vesicle pathway.

Peculiar behaviour of rabbit thymocytes in interaction with liposomes of different compositions shown by fluorescence polarization studies, lipid analysis, and uptake of vesicle-entrapped carboxyfluorescein

In order to obtain more information on membrane phenomena occurring at the cell surface of rabbit thymocytes we have performed experiments aimed at altering the lipid composition of the plasma membrane. Thymocytes were incubated at 37 degree C with phospholipid vesicles of different compositions. Vesicle-cell interaction was followed by measuring the degree of fluorescence polarization and the uptake of vesicle-entrapped carboxyfluorescein. Neutral and negatively charged liposomes prepared from egg phosphatidylcholine are currently used in investigations of vesicle-cell interaction. In this report we show that these liposomes do not interact with rabbit thymocytes as is evident from unaltered lipid fluidity measured in whole cells and in isolated plasma membranes. This was confirmed by experiments with vesicle-entrapped carboxyfluorescein showing hardly any uptake of the fluorophor from neutral and negatively charged egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes. Using both techniques substantial interaction was found with positively charged egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes and with liposomes prepared from soybean lecithin which is composed of a variety of phospholipids. The results of these experiments were supported by lipid analysis of cells treated with soybean lecithin liposomes. Increase in phosphatidylcholine contents of mixed phospholipid vesicles was further shown to result in decreased vesicle-cell interaction. From measurements of the quantity of carboxyfluorescein inside cells and the total amount of cell-associated carboxyfluorescein it is concluded that adsorption plays a prominent role in interaction between liposomes and rabbit lymphocytes. The grade of maturation of lymphocytes was also found to affect vesicle-cell interaction. The more mature thymocytes took up more vesicle-entrapped carboxyfluorescein from soybean liposomes than immature thymocytes. Mesenteric lymph node cells exhibited a still stronger interaction. The role of vesicle and cell surface charge and membrane fluidity of both vesicles and cells in interaction between liposomes and rabbit thymocytes is discussed.

Interaction of acidic liposomes with red blood cells. Induction of endocytosis and shedding of particles

Calcium ions induced tight binding of massive amounts of liposomes containing cardiolipin, phosphatidyl-ethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine to erythrocytes. Initially, liposome-liposome fusion occurred and only subsequently the resulting large structures adhered to cells. Large clumps composed of liposomes and cells were formed. Upon prolonged incubation, the clumps were dissipated spontaneously and excess liposomes were released. A constant amount of phospholipid (15-25 nmol/10(8) cells) were incorporated into the cell membranes. Upon disaggregation, the cells shed erythrocyte particles. The latter were isolated and shown to contain lipids from both cellular and liposomal origin. The particles lacked spectrins and contained variable amounts of band 3 content. Liposomes induced endocytosis in reticulocytes but not in mature erythrocytes. In most cases, the liposomes themselves were not engulfed by the cells and remained attached to their surface. The relevance of this phenomenon to delivery to liposome contents into cells is discussed.

Delivery of liposome membrane-associated sterols through silastic membranes

The transport of sterols incorporated into the lecithin bilayer of small unilamellar liposomes through a model membrane was studied. A two-chamber diffusion cell containing liposomes with incorporated [4-14C)cholesterol or beta-[4-14C]sitosterol in the donor chamber and liposomes with unlabeled cholesterol in the receiver chamber was used. The permeability coefficients of the sterols through silastic rubber membranes which served as a model membrane were measured. The permeability for cholesterol incorporated into liposomes in a phosphatidyl choline/cholesterol molar ratio of 1 : 1, produced by sonication for 1 h, and subsequent centrifugation at 100 000 X g for 1 h, was 1.6 . 10(-8) cm sec-1. Dilution of the liposome suspension did not change the permeability coefficient significantly. The permeability coefficient of sitosterol incorporated into liposomes was about 4-times smaller than that of cholesterol. These results suggest that the sterols were delivered to the silastic membrane by the intact liposomes and that free solute was not involved in the transport to the membrane to a significant degree. The large differences in the permeability coefficients between cholesterol and sitosterol indicate that an aqueous interfacial barrier was crossed by the sterol during the delivery to the membrane.

Immunospecific targeting of liposomes to cells: a novel and efficient method for covalent attachment of Fab' fragments via disulfide bonds

An efficient method for covalently cross-linking 50K Fab' antibody fragments to the surface of lipid vesicles is reported. Coupling up to 600 microgram of Fab'/mumol of phospholipid (about 6000 Fab' molecules per 0.2-micrometer vesicle) is achieved via a disulfide interchange reaction between the thiol group exposed on each Fab' fragment and a pyridyldithio-derivative of phosphatidylethanolamine present in low concentration in the membranes of preformed large unilamellar vesicles. The coupling reaction is efficient, proceeds rapidly under mild conditions, and yields well-defined products. Each vesicle-linked Fab' fragment retains its original antigenic specificity and full capacity to bind antigen. We have used Fab' fragments, coupled to vesicles by this method, to achieve immunospecific targeting of liposomes to cells in vitro. Vesicles bearing antihuman erythrocyte Fab' fragments bind quantitatively to human erythrocytes (at multiplicities up to 5000 0.2-micrometer vesicles per cell) while essentially no binding is observed to sheep or ox red blood cells. Vesicle-cell binding is stable over a pH range from 6 to 8 and is virtually unaffected by the presence of human serum (50%). Cell-bound vesicles retain their aqueous contents and can be eluted intact from cells by treatment with reducing agents (dithiothreitol or mercaptoethanol) at alkaline pH.

Liposome accumulation in ischaemic intestine following experimental mesenteric occlusion

Partial intestinal ischaemia was produced by ligation of selected primary laterals of the mesenteric artery in the rat. Both positively and negatively charged liposomes (multiply labelled with [99mTc]diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, [3H]methoxy-inulin, and [4-14C]-cholesterol), administered 24 h following ligation, were accumulated in ischemic (necrotic) intestine.

Toxicity and neuronal transport of stable liposomes and phospholipid in the nervous system

When unilamellar "stable" liposomes composed of a dialkyl analog of phosphatidylcholine, tetradecyloctadec-11-eno(1)phosphocholine (dialkyl-PC), plus cholesterol at 1:1 molar ratio, and a trace of [3H]dialkyl-PC were injected into the vitreous of the rabbit eye, macrophage infiltration and phagocytosis of lipid were observed in retina including the epiretinal myelinated nerve fiber bundles, with no other neurotoxic effects. Little or no incorporation of [3h]dialkyl-PC was observed in the distal tissues of the optic system. With "labile" vesicles composed of egg lecithin, trace amounts of [3H]dialkyl-PC, and phosphatidic acid, no morphological changes occurred. After a lag of more than 7 days [3H]dialkyl-PC appeared in superior colliculus, indicating axonal transport of the lipid in an anterograde direction. Experiments with submandibular and parotid gland indicated retrograde transport of the lipid. The data do not suggest axonal transport of intact (stable) liposomes, but suggest that intact phospholipid molecules can be axonally transported.

Fluorescence studies on the mechanism of liposome-cell interactions in vitro

Sonicated unilamellar liposomes containing fluorescent lipid analogs or biotinyl phosphatidylethanolamine as a ligand for fluorescein avidin have been used to study the mechanism of interaction of phospholipid vesicles with eucaryotic cells. Microscopy revealed that after short incubations the fluorescence was associated with the cell surface in a punctate as opposed to a uniform staining pattern. Fluid vesicles, regardless of charge, were found to associate with cells to the same degree. Solid neutral and negatively charged vesicles associated to a 3-fold greater extent, while solid positively charged vesicles associated to a 10-fold greater extent than fluid vesicles. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, a technique used to measure the lateral mobility of cell surface components, was used to measure the lateral mobility of the associated fluorescence probes. No recovery was observed, implying that greater than 90% of the fluorescent lipid analogs are not free to diffuse over distances of the order of 1 micrometer. When these analogs were introduced into the cell membrane by an ethanol-injection technique, rapid and full recovery after photobleaching was observed. This can be accounted for by a lateral diffusion coefficient characteristic of phospholipids in model and biomembranes. The image and photobleaching results suggest that the majority of liposomes that become cell-associated under the conditions used here are adsorbed on the surface. The consequences of this binding for liposome-mediated delivery of molecules into the cytoplasm or plasma membrane of the cell are discussed.

Lysophosphatidylcholine in liposomal membranes: enhanced permeability but little effect on transfer of a water-soluble fluorescent marker into human lymphocytes

In an attempt to enhance delivery of liposome contents into cells, we tested the effect of lysophosphatidylcholine on transfer of the fluorescent dye, carboxyfluorescein, from small unilamellar and large multilamellar vesicles to human lymphocytes. Dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine and dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine-lysophosphatidylcholine small unilamellar vesicles with varying lipid ratios were prepared and characterized. In the presence of lysophosphatidylcholine, small unilamellar vesicles were slightly smaller and more leaky than those made without lysophosphatidylcholine. Lysophosphatidylcholine induced less leakage in large multilamellar vesicles. It did not show any appreciable effect on transfer of liposome contents, whether included as part of the liposomal bilayer (of unilamellar or multilamellar vesicles) or added exogenously together with small unilamellar dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine vesicles.

Liposome-Mediated transfer of bacterial RNA into carrot protoplasts

The uptake of liposome-encapsulated E. coli [(3)H]RNA by carrot (Daucus carota L.) protoplasts was examined. [(3)H]RNA extracted from protoplasts that had been incubated with [(3)H]RNA-containing, large, unilamellar lipid vesicles (liposomes) obtained by ether infusion, and examined by sucrose gradient centrifugation and formamide-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, appeared substantially degraded, with a total elimination of 23S RNA and a partial loss of 16S RNA. In contrast, no breakdown of the [(3)H]RNA was apparent in the liposomes after sequestration, even in the presence of externally added ribonuclease, or in the unfused liposomes remaining after incubation of protoplasts with liposomes. Thus, the degradation of the [(3)H]RNA extracted from the protoplasts must have occurred within the protoplasts and represents evidence for liposome-mediated RNA uptake. Naked RNA added to the protoplast culture was found to be totally degraded after incubation with the protoplasts. The uptake of liposome-sequestered RNA by protoplasts was demonstrated to be a function both of the lipid composition of the liposomal membrane and of the temperature of incubation of the liposomeprotoplast mixture. Furthermore, the mode of this uptake (fusion versus endocytosis) could be manipulated by adjusting the cholesterol content of the liposomal membrane. The implications of the ability to insert RNA into protoplasts without degradation by extracellular nucleases are discussed.