Preparation of liposomes with dual fluorophores to follow real-time content release in Vivo

Abstract

Unilamellar liposomes are well established carriers of chemotherapeutics. Most of the clinically approved liposome formulations for cancer treatment tend to rely on passive targeting of the tumour site, enabled by the leaky vasculature supplying the tumour tissue. This chapter deals with a method of preparing liposomes having two different fluorophores encapsulated in separate compartments; the lipid bilayer buries the non-exchangeable fluorophore while the aqueous interior (lumen) encapsulates the releasable payload. Such preparations can be used to quantitatively assess the ability of a particular formulation to release payload by deciphering the effects of accumulation and plasma clearance from actual content release within the microvasculature in live tissues and in real-time. The emphasis here is on liposome preparation by the technique of extrusion through polycarbonate membranes.