A multifunctional lipid that forms contrast-agent liposomes with dual-control release capabilities for precise MRI-guided drug delivery.

A multifunctional lipid that forms contrast-agent liposomes with dual-control release capabilities for precise MRI-guided drug delivery. Biomaterials. 2019 Aug 06;221:119412 Authors: Liu C, Ewert KK, Wang N, Li Y, Safinya CR, Qiao W Abstract Monitoring of nanoparticle-based therapy in vivo and controlled drug release are urgently needed for the precise treatment of disease. We have synthesized a multifunctional Gd-DTPA-ONB (GDO) lipid by introducing the Gd-DTPA contrast agent moiety into an o-nitro-benzyl ester lipid. By design, liposomes formed from the GDO lipid combine MRI tracking ability and dual-trigger release capabilities with maximum sensitivity (because all lipids bear the cleavable moiety) without reducing the drug encapsulation rate. We first confirmed that both photo-treatment and pH-triggered hydrolysis are able to cleave the GDO lipid and lyse GDO liposomes. We then investigated the efficiency of drug release via the combined release processes for GDO liposomes loaded with doxorubicin (DOX). Relative to neutral pH, the release efficiency in acidic environment increased by 10.4% (at pH = 6.5) and 13.3% (at pH = 4.2). This pH-dependent release response is conducive to distinguishing pathological tissue such as tumors and endolysosomal compartments. The photo-induced release efficiency increases with illumination time as well as with distance of the pH from neutral. Photolysis increased the release efficiency by 1...
Source: Biomaterials - Category: Materials Science Authors: Tags: Biomaterials Source Type: research