STUDIES ON CARBOHYDRATE-BINDING PROTEINS USING LIPOSOME-BASED SYSTEMS .1. PREPARATION OF NEOGLYCOPROTEIN-CONJUGATED LIPOSOMES AND THE FEASIBILITY OF THEIR USE AS DRUG-TARGETING DEVICES

1. Five types of neoglycoprotein-coupled liposomes were prepared in order to investigate their potential utility as new types of drug-targeting devices which exploit cellular functions of carbohydrate-binding proteins. 2. These preparations were shown to be stable at 37-degrees-C for 24 hr and at 7-degrees-C over 4 months. 3. An inhibition assay in an in vitro system using human adenocarcinoma cells indicated the high affinity binding of neoglycoprotein-conjugated liposomes. The inhibitory potency correlated with both the type and the amount of immobilized neoglycoproteins on liposomes. 4. A tissue distribution assay in an in vivo system using Ehrlich solid tumor-bearing mice showed the feasibility of the application of [I-125]neoglycoprotein-conjugated liposomes as drug-targeting devices, based on carbohydrate-protein interactions.