Electron microscopic studies on tissue distribution of lipid microspheres used as drug delivery carriers.

The tissue distribution of lipid microspheres (LMs), drug carriers for targeting therapy of anti-inflammatory drugs, was morphologically studied by electron microscope. In areas of inflammation in rats and mice, LMs were taken up by macrophages and accumulated around endothelial cells of blood vessels, and were observed to penetrate to the outer layer of blood vessels. LMs were also observed in reticuloendothelial cells such as Kupffer cells and splenic macrophages. Furthermore, the uptake of LMs by polymorphonucleocytes (PMNs) in areas of inflammation was enhanced 2-3 fold when LMs were coated with homogeneous IgG. These findings are in agreement with the tissue distribution results previously reported by the authors in studies using radioisotope-labelled LMs. The present and previous reports indicate that LMs could be used as a novel drug carrier, similarly to liposomes, in a drug delivery system specific for areas of inflammation and reticuloendothelial systems.