Liposomes Coated with Molecular Recognition Site Are Useful for Active Targeting Chemotherapy on Cancer Cells

We investigated the antitumor effects of adriamycin (ADM) encapsulated in 3 types of liposomes using rat hepatom cells (AH66) in vitro and in vivo. Liposomes were coated with cholesterol pullulan (CHP) and 1-aminolactose conjugated to CHP (lactose CHP) as a molecular recognition site for cancer cells. Antitumor activity of ADM encapsulated in lactose CHP was the most effective compared to that of liposomes alone or CHP on AH66 cells assyed by MTT test in vitro. Furthermore, growth of the tumor (AH66 cells) implanted into BALB/c mice was markedly inhibited by the treatment with ADM in lactose CHP-coated liposomes. Thus, lactose CHP-coated liposomes are an effective drug carrier for active targeting chemotherapy on cancer cells.