Abstract
Polyethylene glycol derivatives containing liposomes (PEG-liposome) are expected to he useful drug delivery tools. Because they are not readily taken up by the reticulo-endothelial system (RES), stay in the circulation for a relatively long period of time and hence can effectively deliver anti-tumor drugs to the sites where have a high permeability of blood vessels such as tumor tissue. In the future, to improve safety and efficiency of liposome carrier, it is necessary for them to have a property of active targeting. From this point of view, the liposome, which was modified its surface with antibody for target molecule, was developed and it's called “immunoliposome”. It is an ideal drug carrier which has both properties of escaping RES and active targeting. Lately, the liposomes modified with proteins or peptides which recognize specific molecule as well as antibody were developed. In this review, we summarize about the liposomes as an active targeting carrier for tumor therapy.
