Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1997 May;14(5):657-61.
doi: 10.1023/a:1012117531448.

Preparation of biodegradable, surface engineered PLGA nanospheres with enhanced lymphatic drainage and lymph node uptake

A E Hawley  1 , L Illum, S S Davis
Affiliations

Preparation of biodegradable, surface engineered PLGA nanospheres with enhanced lymphatic drainage and lymph node uptake

A E Hawley et al. Pharm Res. 1997 May.

Abstract

Purpose: Nanospheres can be utilised for the targeting of drugs and diagnostic agents to the regional lymph nodes. The surface modification of model polystyrene, (PS), and poly(lactide-co-glycolide),(PLGA), nanospheres by poly(lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol), (PLA:PEG), copolymers has been assessed by in vitro characterisation and in vivo biodistribution studies following subcutaneous administration of the nanospheres to the rat.

Methods: Three PLA:PEG copolymers were investigated, with PEG chain lengths of 750, 2000 and 5000 Da. The PLA:PEG copolymers were either coated onto the surface of PS and PLGA nanospheres or used as a co-precipitate in the formation of PLGA-PLA:PEG nanospheres. Coating of the nanospheres was confirmed by an increase in their particle size and a corresponding decrease in the surface potential. The kinetics of injection site drainage and lymph node retention was determined over a 24 hour time course for naked, coated and co-precipitated nanosphere systems.

Results: Dependent on the surface characteristics, the distribution of the nanospheres can be significantly modified and the lymph node localisation dramatically enhanced by coating their surfaces with PLA:PEG copolymers or by producing co-precipitate nanospheres of PLGA and PLA:PEG.

Conclusions: A fully biodegradable nanosphere system has been developed with excellent lymph node targeting characteristics.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. FEBS Lett. 1997 Jan 6;400(3):319-23 - PubMed
    1. Radiology. 1995 Jul;196(1):107-13 - PubMed
    1. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1993 Jul 25;1150(1):9-16 - PubMed
    1. FEBS Lett. 1994 May 9;344(1):25-30 - PubMed
    1. Pharmacology. 1983;26(4):230-40 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources