Since the first synthesis of liposomes, liposomes have been seen as an efficient way to deliver drugs to a specific location in the body.  Most drug delivery methods that rely upon liposomes are dependent upon the slow release of the drugs as the liposomes decay over time.  While this type of delivery method is adequate for some situations, others require that the drugs be released all at once.  In this research a new way for quick delivery was investigated involving magnetic nanoparticles as a �switch� to open up the liposomes on demand.   The method used in this study depended upon the superparamagnetic properties of magnetic nanoparticles.  Liposomes were made with the magnetic nanoparticles in their interior and then subjected to alternating magnetic fields which caused the magnetic nanoparticles to align with the field of the pulsed magnet.  The efficiency of the interior nanoparticles to break the liposomes was tested by the release of fluorescent carboxyfluorescein dye.  Several different types of nanoparticles were tested, but it was found that the most effective nanoparticles at breaking open the liposomes were cobalt and gold coated cobalt.  While it was shown that the basic idea behind this method was an effective means for quick delivery, the experimental parameters need further adjustment to improve the amount of content released.  One of the next steps to be taken will be to attach these nanoparticles in the phospholipid bilayer rather than include them in the interior of the liposomes.

Controlled drug release from magneto-liposomes by pulsed magnetic fields

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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