Kinetics and disposition of fluorescein-labelled liposomes in healthy human subjects.

The in vivo kinetics and organ uptake of multilamellar liposomes have been studied in healthy volunteers. Sodium fluorescein-containing liposomes composed of equimolar amounts of egg phosphatidylocholine and cholesterol were injected into a peripheral vein in 4 healthy subjects. Blood samples collected from the femoral artery, hepatic vein and pulmonary artery, were analysed for liposomal dye content. The results, showing involvement of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) in the removal of liposomes, confirmed those previously obtained with radiolabelled preparations. Use of an innocuous liposomal marker (sodium fluorescein) and conventional vascular catheterization techniques, as employed here, may provide a reliable and clinically acceptable approach to establishing disease-induced changes in the kinetics of uptake of drug-containing liposomes by the RES, and thus help in the design of protocols for effective treatment.