In vitro and in vivo studies with anionic sulfatide-liposomes containing adriamycin.

Neutral and negatively charged liposomes containing Adriamycin (ADM) were examined for efficiency of drug entrapment and stability in serum. The greatest entrapment of ADM was obtained with negatively charged liposomes containing sulfatide. Moreover, these sulfatide-containing liposomes were more stable than other liposomes in the presence of serum. Tissue distribution studies indicated that the levels of ADM were increased several-fold in mouse liver and spleen after i.v. injection of the drug entrapped in sulfatide-liposomes, while levels of the drug were significantly diminished in the heart. Finally, the in vivo antitumor activity of ADM in liposomes containing sulfatides resulted in significantly greater survival rates than free ADM or ADM entrapped in liposomes without sulfatides.