Preparation of bovine serum albumin nanospheres as drug targeting carriers.

Bovine serum albumin nanospheres (BSA-NS) of mean diameter about 170 nm were prepared by means of the tanning method with glutaraldehyde, and their efficacy as drug targeting carriers was evaluated. To gain insight of biodegradability, BSA microspheres (BSA-MS) were first administered to rats and their distributions in the lungs and liver were observed by a scanning electron microscope. A large amount of BSA-MS was found in the lungs and their surface was slightly degraded at 1 week after the administration. For investigating biocompatibility, the weight increase of the spleen and liver was measured after the administration of the BSA-NS to mice. The spleen weight of the group receiving BSA-NS was equivalent to that of the control group, though the liver weight was significantly increased. It was observed that conjugates of BSA-NS with antibody selectively concentrated on the surface of Sepharose beads which were coated with antigen.