title: Drug delivery system: targeting of pentamidines to specific sites using sugar grafted liposomes.
abstract: Different sugar-grafted liposomes were prepared and tested against experimental leishmaniasis in vivo using the classical drug pentamidine isethionate and its methoxy derivative. Both the drugs, when encapsulated in sugar-grafted liposomes were found to be more potent in comparison to normal liposome-encapsulated drug or to the free drug. Moreover, the mannose-grafted liposomes were adjudged to be the best in lowering of spleen parasite load in comparison with those bearing glucose or galactose. When encapsulated in mannose-grafted liposomes the therapeutic efficacy of pentamidine isethionate was found to be better than that of its methoxy derivative, although the latter seemed to be less toxic than the pentamidine isethionate itself.
authors.affiliation: Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Calcutta, India.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nandi
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Mahato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pakrashi
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Basu
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006224:Cricetinae; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000187:drug effects*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008081:Liposomes; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008358:Mannose; D008647:Mesocricetus; D010419:Pentamidine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D008081:Liposomes; C103588:methoxypentamidine isethionate; D010419:Pentamidine; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D008358:Mannose