title: Carrier design: biodistribution of branched polypeptides with a poly(L-lysine) backbone.
abstract: The biodistribution has been examined in mice of a range of synthetic branched polypeptides which are based on a polylysine backbone but which differ in ionic charge, side-chain structure, and molecular size. Polycationic polypeptides, regardless of their size or primary structure at the branches, were cleared rapidly from the circulation, the liver being the major site of clearance. Polypeptides with glutamic acid in the side chain, which would be amphoteric under physiological conditions, showed a significantly prolonged blood survival, and this was seen with polypeptides in the range of molecular weights of 46,000 up to 213,000. Such polypeptides provide a useful system with which to investigate the effect of structural parameters on the pharmacokinetic properties of carrier molecules and would allow the selection of candidate carriers for a variety of uses.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Campaign Laboratories, University of Nottingham, University Park, UK.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Clegg
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hudecz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mezö
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Pimm
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szekerke
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Baldwin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D005260:Female; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D011107:Polylysine / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D010455:Peptides; D011107:Polylysine