Liposomes as drug carriers in leishmaniasis and malaria.
Experimental studies suggest that liposomes could substantially improve the performance of anti-leishmanial drugs in the chemotherapy of visceral leishmaniasis. In this article, Carl Alving discusses the potential for overcoming resistance to antimonial drugs; for 'buffering' the toxicity of drugs, and for drug delivery under conditions where hospitalization is impossible or inconvenient. Liposomes can also be used experimentally to reduce the toxicity and increase the efficacy of parenterally-administered primaquine in the treatment of sporozoite-induced murine malaria.
Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, DC 20307-5100, USA.
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