Encapsulation of drugs and active

Of course, nanocomposites are not the only area where mesoscale theories are being used to predict nanostructure and morphology. Other applications include—but are not limited to—block copolymer-based materials, surfactant and lipid liquid crystalline phases, micro-encapsulation of drugs and other actives, and phase behavior of polymer blends and solutions. In all these areas, mesoscale models are utilized to describe—qualitatively and often semi-quantitatively—how the structure of each component and the overall formulation influence the formation of the nanoscale morphology. 

A variety of other clinically important infections, such as brucellosis, listeriosis, salmonellosis, and various Mycobacterium infections, are of interest as these are often localized in organs rich in MPS cells. Liposome encapsulation has been demonstrated to improve therapeutic indices of several drugs in a number of infectious models. The natural avidity of macrophages for liposomes can also be exploited in the application of the vesicles as carriers of immunomodulators to activate these cells to an microbicidal, antiviral, or tumoricidal state. These studies were recently reviewed by Emmen and Storm (1987), Popescu et al. (1987), and Alving (1988). In addition to the treatment of "old" infectious diseases, the concept of MPS-directed drug delivery is of considerable interest for the therapy AIDS, possibly enabling control of human immunodeficiency virus replication in human macrophages. 

Kim et al. (1987) showed that the prolonged retention time of Ara-C in the peritoneal cavity after intraperitoneal administration of the drug in liposomal form as discussed above resulted in better therapeutic effects on intraperitoneally inoculated L1210 cells, as compared to the free drug. The activity of intraperitoneally administered cDDP on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mice was increased after encapsulation in neutral liposomes (Sur et al., 1983). The in vivo studies revealed improved antitumor activity and a lower toxicity sifter administration of cDDP liposomes compared to free drug. 

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