Co-encapsulating the fusogenic peptide INF7 and molecular imaging probes in liposomes increases intracellular signal and probe retention.

ABSTRACT: Liposomes are promising vehicles to deliver diagnostic and therapeutic agents to cells in vivo. After uptake into cells by endocytosis, liposomes are degraded in the endolysosomal system. Consequently, the encapsulated cargo molecules frequently remain sequestered in endosomal compartments; this limits their usefulness in many applications (e.g. gene delivery). To overcome this, various fusogenic peptides have been developed to facilitate delivery of liposomally-encapsulated molecules into the cytosol. One such peptide is the pH-sensitive influenza-derived peptide INF7. Liposomal delivery of imaging agents is an attractive approach for enabling cell imaging and cell tracking in vivo, but can be hampered by inadequate intracellular accumulation and retention of probes caused by exocytosis (

SUBMITTER: Burks SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4376389 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature