Interactions of solid lipid nanoparticles with model membranes and leukocytes studied by EPR

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) are colloidal systems which have been proposed for several administration routes. Only limited data are available about the mechanism and rate of interaction of SLN with cells and tissues. The aim of our study was to investigate interactions of SLN with model membranes (liposomes) and cells (leukocytes). SLN dispersions composed of glyceryl tripalmitate, phosphatidylcholine, water, and poloxamer 188 or Tween 20 were prepared by the melt-emulsification process. Spin-labeled phosphatidylcholine (PC(10,3)) and the methylester of doxyl palmitic acid (MeFASL(10,3)) were incorporated into SLN as spin probes (SPs) in order to determine the rate and mechanism of cell interaction by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Our results indicate that the exchange of SP between SLN and liposomes is much faster for MeFASL(10,3) than for PC(10,3), probably due to the smaller size of the former. In contrast to liposomes, in leukocytes no significant difference in the transfer rates of the two SP was observed after incubation, suggesting that there is an uptake of SLN to leukocytes (endocytosis) although simultaneous SP diffusion is not excluded. The interaction of SLN with leukocytes appears to depend significantly on the stabilizer used. Transfer of PC(10,3) from SLN coated with poloxamer 188 is much faster than from SLN coated with Tween 20.