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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1991 Dec 15;88(24):11460–11464. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.24.11460

Sterically stabilized liposomes: improvements in pharmacokinetics and antitumor therapeutic efficacy.

D Papahadjopoulos 1, T M Allen 1, A Gabizon 1, E Mayhew 1, K Matthay 1, S K Huang 1, K D Lee 1, M C Woodle 1, D D Lasic 1, C Redemann 1, et al.
PMCID: PMC53155  PMID: 1763060

Abstract

The results obtained in this study establish that liposome formulations incorporating a synthetic polyethylene glycol-derivatized phospholipid have a pronounced effect on liposome tissue distribution and can produce a large increase in the pharmacological efficacy of encapsulated antitumor drugs. This effect is substantially greater than that observed previously with conventional liposomes and is associated with a more than 5-fold prolongation of liposome circulation time in blood, a marked decrease in uptake by tissues such as liver and spleen, and a corresponding increased accumulation in implanted tumors. These and other properties described here have expanded considerably the prospects of liposomes as an effective carrier system for a variety of pharmacologically active macromolecules.

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Selected References

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