Abstract
Liposomes are recognized as the most potential drug carrier to a specific cell or tissue.
One of the major problems still remaining unsolved is the question, “is it possible to accumulate liposomes to some target in the body avoiding reticuloendothelial system (RES)?”. Intentional surface chemical approaches were required for solving this problem. Fixed aqueous layers outside the surface of liposomes were formed by, e.g., incorporating polyethyleneglycol (PEG)-lipid into the liposomal membrane. The fixed aqueous layer thickness (FALT) was determined. FALT increased by PEG-modification and RES avoiding was dependent on FALT.
In this review, some recent papers on sterically stabilized liposomes, their FALT determination, their biodistributions, their pharmacological effects and their safety will be presented.
