Preparation of PEG-grafted immunomagnetoliposomes entrapping citrate stabilized magnetite particles and their application in CD34+ cell sorting.

Immunomagnetic systems have been used for positive selection of a cellfraction from a mixture using appropriate surface markers with satisfactory results, as haematopoietic CD34+ cells. This work reports on the development of poly(ethylene glycol)-grafted (PEG) immunoliposomes loaded with citratemagnetite stabilized particles as the separation vehicles for immunomagnetic separations. The magnetic ferrofluid was encapsulated into PEG-liposomes by the DRV methodology. The magnetoliposomes had a liposomal size of ~ 450nm and a Fe/lipid molar ratio of 1.52 ± 0.26, and were retained in the magnetic field created by the MiniMACS system. Anti-CD34 immunomagnetoliposomes with 100mAb/vesicle were prepared by coupling the My10 mAb and bound specifically for CD34+ KG-1a cells in culture and in mixtures with CD34- cells (CHO or Jurkat). The magnetic cell sorting was carried out in cell mixtures KG-1a/CHO or KG-1a/Jurkat with different initial% of CD34 + Kg1a cells. For 106 positive cells and 100 μM of immunomagnetoliposomes, the capture efficiency was > 85% and independent of the starting percentage of CD34+ cells. The decrease of the final purity, when the starting percentage of CD34+ cells decreases and, dependent of the CD34- cell line used, point to the degree of non-specific cell binding of My10-immunomagnetoliposomes as being crucial, among of the methodological aspects as the number of starting CD34+ cells. The CD34+ cells isolated retained the viability with an estimated recovery of 45-50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]