Novel galactosylated liposomes for hepatocyte-selective targeting of lipophilic drugs.

Novel galactosylated neutral liposomes containing cholesten-5-yloxy-N-(4-((1-imino-2-beta-D-thiogalactosylethyl)amino)butyl)formamide (Gal-C4-Chol) as a "homing" device were developed for hepatocyte-selective drug targeting. Distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC)/cholesterol (Chol) (60:40) and DSPC/Chol/Gal-C4-Chol (60:35:5) liposomes were prepared and labeled with [3H]cholesteryl hexadecyl ether (CHE). [3H]Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and [14C]probucol were incorporated in liposomes as model lipophilic drugs. After intravenous injection of the liposomes, mice were sacrificed at suitable time periods, and the lung, liver, kidney, spleen, and heart were excised. DSPC/Chol/Gal-C4-Chol liposomes rapidly disappeared from the blood, and 85% of the dose had accumulated in the liver within 10 min compared with hepatic accumulation of DSPC/Chol liposomes of 12%. The liver was perfused with collagenase, and liver parenchymal cells (PC) and liver nonparenchymal cells (NPC) were separated by centrifugal differentiation to determine the cellular distribution. The PC/NPC ratios for DSPC/Chol/Gal-C4-Chol and DSPC/Chol liposomes were 15.1 and 1.1, respectively. The hepatic uptake of DSPC/Chol/Gal-C4-Chol liposomes, but not that of DSPC/Chol liposomes, was significantly inhibited by the predosing of galactosylated bovine serum albumin. [14C]Probucol and [3H]PGE1 incorporated in DSPC/Chol/Gal-C4-Chol liposomes was also efficiently delivered to the liver. In conclusion, newly developed galactosylated liposomes have been proven to be a useful carrier for hepatocyte-selective targeting that will have many practical applications.